Robert ReichMass shootings in the US:
2014: 273
2015: 336
2016: 383
2017: 348
2018: 336
2019: 417
2020: 610
2021: 690
2022: 647
In the first seven weeks of 2023: 67
We do not have to live like this. No other country on the planet does.
Bruce Johnson ✅@rbreich To be fair, no other country on the planet faces the challenges to NOT live like this that the US does. Most countries don't have reverence for weaponry enshrined in their constitution. And, for good or bad, that limits the options that the US has to address mass shootings. I'm not convinced there's a reasonable suggestion for improvement that doesn't immediately run afoul of 2A, before even considering whether there would be sufficient political will to implement.
Janne@LACanuck @rbreich There are a lot of civilian guns in the world: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimated_number_of_civilian_guns_per_capita_by_country
Finland has a full quarter of the US number of guns per capita.
There are not a lot of shootings. Once in a decade, maybe.
There's something really perverse going on, probably not having do with possible constitutional interpretation of individual right to bear arms.
Tom Moberg@janvenetor @LACanuck @rbreich I happily live in a country with less then 5 guns per civilian according to these wiki figures and shooting incidents rarely break the news, fortunately. Best of luck on improving the situation in the USA. Greetings from Poland
Tam 🐾🇦🇺🇨🇦@janvenetor @LACanuck @rbreich However, the vast majority of weapons in Finland are long guns for hunting. There is a significant difference in licensing, too, as permits are not granted solely on the basis of "personal protection."
There is also a huge cultural difference. Nordic countries as a whole have much more respect for the law and police reflected in an overall lower crime rate.
On the flipside, the suicide rate by gun is very high.
There is also a huge cultural difference. Nordic countries as a whole have much more respect for the law and police reflected in an overall lower crime rate.
On the flipside, the suicide rate by gun is very high.
CaptainSmartass@janvenetor @LACanuck @rbreich this is called cherry picking. As someone else pointed out, it's not just the number of guns. It's the regulations involved in buying and keeping them. I don't know Finland's laws but I would bet real money any old yahoo can't waltz into an auditorium on a certain Saturday and buy whatever he wants without a background check.
@captainsmartass @LACanuck @rbreich 1. The legislative situation is a problem on federal level, yes. There isn't even bipartisan support on assault weapons ban any more.
Some US states have strict gun permit requirements, and there are other restrictions, though! Take California, for instance. There are lots of opportunities..
2. It's not impossible to get an illegal/unregistered long or handgun in Canada or Finland, there are hundreds of thousands of those.
We still don't have the shootings.
Hudson@janvenetor @LACanuck @rbreich I agree that there is something perverse going on. Akin to serial mass psychosis and suicide. It’s like the doomsday films where a virus causes everyone to go crazy and start murdering each other. But, hey, my football/baseball/hockey game is coming up so we’ll talk later. We refuse to allow anything outside our personal bubble to spur us to collective action. And those we pay to act for us and protect us are corrupt.