That sounds great, and I agree with you on some level, but access is an issue and drives those rates you're talking about.
Regardless of how you rationalize the violence, access plays a significant role. I agree with you about improving empathy and the valuing of life, and I would add anger management to that list. That's what parenting and educational arenas are all about. Unfortunately, not all get that upbringing. Access to guns then magnifies those cultural derailments. Look at the kid who shot WS. I don't know his background, whether he had intact parents, empathy, valued or devalued life, or was just plain mad and acted on his emotion, but if he isn't carrying a gun, no one gets killed. How did that 19 y/o get a gun to begin with? He bought if off the street, or stole it, or whatever. Because there are so many in circulation, he now killed another kid. One is dead and the other in jail for life. Where is the empathy for that?
Some people cant be helped. The problem is you are painting the entire population with a broad brush. Case in point, I bet no one on this forum has shot anyone all day. Take your wares to FSA.
Criminals will have access even if it's against the law for a law abiding citizen to buy one legally. We have always had easy access to firearms in this country but in the past you didn't have all the mass shootings of random strangers. Whether it's social media or violent video games or just a general breakdown of society I don't know. It's not TV. I have seen thousands of murders on TV in my life but it never made me want to go out and shoot people. Whatever the reason new and more restrictive gun laws are NOT the answer.
Unfortunately I think you should prepare yourself to accept it. I don't see societal changes happening that would result in a decrease in gun violence. It's a sign of the times.
Depends how you break down the stats. Violent crime against lawful citizens is trending down while Gang violence is up. True mass shootings (not gang drive-bys), while increasing are still statistically insignificant. What has definitely increased by ten-fold is the media coverage and its agenda.
Not sure about the Sydney, Australia connections or biases of the claims as you seem to suggest, so I searched again. I went to the Office of National Statistics for the UK, but couldn't get definitive information without access that I don't have. I then found the article below whose author was able to get the numbers. I have to trust at some point. I don't know the author, or any political bias she has or doesn't have. What I do know is that the rate of gun deaths are exceedingly high in the US compared to that one group of countries, the UK, and they have laws about handguns and semi-autos. I'm not saying we need to adopt their laws exactly, only that the existence of those laws likely correlate with the improved rates of gun deaths in that country. The following is from that article: The gun homicide rate in England and Wales is about one for every 1 million people, according to the Geneva Declaration of Armed Violence and Development, a multinational organization based in Switzerland. In a population of 56 million, that adds up to about 50 to 60 gun killings annually. In the USA, by contrast, there are about 160 times as many gun homicides in a country that is roughly six times larger in population. There were 8,124 gun homicides in 2014, according to FBI figures. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...olence-united-kingdom-united-states/85994716/ I will close with this. I have no interest in living anywhere else or taking rights away. What I am interested in is improving the death rates to gun shot wounds in the US, whether homicides or suicides. I believe the data is clear that access to guns is the top reason for our alarming statistics. I feel some regulation is warranted to try to curb the decades of trends, just like regulations are warranted in driving cars, motorcycles, or getting vaccines. No one has stopped driving cars or motorcycles due to some safety regulations, but death rates have improved markedly. Whether you want to believe that yourselves is up to you. I'm 100% sure that WS is alive right now if some 19 y/o doesn't have access to a hand gun and shoot him during a fist fight.
Unless the other guy uses a knife, bat, bottle or brick. You must think street fights use Marcus of Queensbury rules or some shit. 100% huh, GTFOH and take it to FSA.
