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The well-publicized Dark Knight shootings in Colorado have opened up the eyes of Americans nationwide. Some speculate that this incident is a conspiracy to bring radical gun control policy to our country. But would gun control really be a bad thing in America?
America is the most heavily armed country on the planet Earth. There are approximately 90 guns per 100 people in the good ol' USA. To put things in better perspective, there are only 3 guns per 100 people in China.
However, gun violence disproportionately effects a small segment of the population. Blacks represent half of all homicide victims in America despite being only 12% of the overall U.S. population.
Gun violence disproportionately effects poor communities of color in urbanized areas. But the level that gun violence effects these communities is appalling. Although violent crime in American cities is down from its peak in the 80's and early 90's, gun violence is an everyday occurrence in poor communities of color in the cities across America. Sadly, many of the victims of gun violence in American inner cities are the most innocent and vulnerable people who are children. Just a quick google search will bring in many very recent news reports, all articles less than three months old, from all over the country of young children being shot by stray bullets in the poorer areas of large cities from Philadelphia to DC to Minneapolis to Oakland. So sad :
America is the land of indifference. Especially when serious societal issues concerning race and class are brought into the equation. People get overly emotional and easily offended at the mere thought of such issues, yet they do nothing to change things. The extreme gun violence we have in American inner cities is the end result of the vast economic inequality set along the string socially reinforced boundaries of race and class in America. Some people believe that the booming local inner city economies based on the easy availability of hard drugs from countries in South America compounded with an overabundance of alcohol in the form of too many liquor stores and the easy accessibility to guns in the ghetto which results in astronomical homicide rates is no accident and is a result of a governmental thrust towards population control in the hood.
Others are not so sympathetic and blame the culture of violence in the inner city as being the chicken that came before the egg instead of pointing fingers at the controlled factors that contribute towards the development of lawless cutthroat ghetto mentality, in itself. This arguably has merit seeing as many violent inner city areas were once quiet and safe middle class, or even upper middle class, areas that were inhabited by Whites only a few decades earlier. Anyone living in a big city or metro area knows that they can't save the world. America is far from a utopia. In America, we accept the messed up crime-ridden state that exists in huge sections of all of our big cities. Many people will type from the safety of their quiet neighborhoods in the suburbs that gun violence in the city "isn't that bad". These same people do not have to worry about their little boys and girls being killed by a stray bullet while they play outside. As long as gun violence doesn't effect you and your family in the suburbs, it doesn't matter. Is that really okay?
Is there any gun control measure that would effectively curb gun violence in America? Or is gun violence merely a symptom of the bigger problem of poor minorities from Black to Latinos to Asians (see California for the latter) competing for a steady cash flow through the coveted scrounged up daily dollars of dope fiends and gang warfare because of the extreme lack of good jobs in America. There is no real way to strip the absurd amount of guns we have in America away from trigger happy people. That would be like trying to rid America of all the weed we have here; which is also impossible. Even though weed is as legal as crack in most places, millions of average Americans still smoke weed everyday of their lives. Similarly, even if guns were made completely illegal in America, it wouldn't change the fact that there are still 90 guns per 100 people because only 12% of all those guns are actually registered with the authorities any way. Thoughts?
Last edited by goldenchild08; 08-30-2012 at 10:55 PM..
Is there any gun control measure that would effectively curb gun violence in America? There is no real way to strip the absurd amount of guns we have in America away from trigger happy people. That would be like trying to rid America of all the weed we have here; which is also impossible. Thoughts?
Look at Canada, they have strict gun ownership laws and have much less gun violence same goes for Europe. Gun laws do work. Even with the influx of gun violence in the past year you still wont hear any suggestions from Republicans that would actually do anything because they will still claim that "guns aren't bad." So as long as Republicans cling so hard to their guns there will be no change.
Is the OP trying to say that blacks should be banned from owning firearms? It sounds that way. Keep in mind that, historically, this is precisely the source of most of our gun control laws. These laws were designed to keep minorities, specifically blacks, unarmed and defenseless. I had hoped we were past this sort of racism and bigotry...I guess I don't know enough "lefties" to really see it in action.
Look at Canada, they have strict gun ownership laws and have much less gun violence same goes for Europe. Gun laws do work. Even with the influx of gun violence in the past year you still wont hear any suggestions from Republicans that would actually do anything because they will still claim that "guns aren't bad." So as long as Republicans cling so hard to their guns there will be no change.
What are your gun laws in Chicago? I would bet they are very strict...... you guys have a high gun violence rate in spite of this. Same with many other cities too
Go to many a small town in the Midwest or South where guns are everywhere and laws are borderline nonexistant...... gun crime is nonexistant as well
The culture in America is the problem..... as in the glorification of violence...... tv, movies, rap music all show and talk about guns in glorified terms
Also, the toughguy hero type mentality is big here
What are your gun laws in Chicago? I would bet they are very strict...... you guys have a high gun violence rate in spite of this. Same with many other cities too
Go to many a small town in the Midwest or South where guns are everywhere and laws are borderline nonexistant...... gun crime is nonexistant as well
The culture in America is the problem..... as in the glorification of violence...... tv, movies, rap music all show and talk about guns in glorified terms
Also, the toughguy hero type mentality is big here
Different culture in Europe
This has already been discussed at length in another thread that I'm fairly certain you participated in.
Short story short: gun laws are not strict like people think and you can't have a comparison with one city or one number.
This has already been discussed at length in another thread that I'm fairly certain you participated in.
Short story short: gun laws are not strict like people think and you can't have a comparison with one city or one number.
They are strict in some cities and states relative to others.... the attitude and culture here are the real problem, no matter how much you don't want to believe it
You will always have people here willing to get guns in anybodys hands no matter what the laws are. This is unfortunate, but stricter laws won't help here
They are strict in some cities and states relative to others.... the attitude and culture here are the real problem, no matter how much you don't want to believe it
You will always have people here willing to get guns in anybodys hands no matter what the laws are. This is unfortunate, but stricter laws won't help here
That's true, currently. Again, what do Canada and Europe have that keeps gun ownership and use so low?
That's true, currently. Again, what do Canada and Europe have that keeps gun ownership and use so low?
Well, Europe, you talk back to the police, you get your a$$ whooped....thrown in jail...they don't have to worry about being sued because you were stupid and got your a$$ whooped....
So, talk to me about Switerzland....why is the gun viloence so low there? When darn near EVERY household has a gun?
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