The numbers are terrifying: According to the US foundation Brady To prevent gun violence, an average of 316 people are gunshot wounds each day in the United States. 106 of them die, 210 survive the gunshot wounds. The foundation compiles official figures on weapon casualties as well as data from emergency admissions.
Almost 39,000 people are shot dead in the United States every year. The rise in gun violence in the country is so dramatic that President Joe Biden (78) has hunted down arms dealers who sell so-called “ghost weapons”, i.e. firearms assembled from kits that are not traceable. Biden condemns America’s gun problem as an “epidemic” and “international embarrassment”.
Corona crisis leads to more gun violence
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, the United States has seen an increase in gun violence. The Covid crisis has led to more poverty, new neglect and extreme psychological stress – one of the reasons for the increase in armed violence. A simple formula seems to apply here: It is easy to buy weapons in the US. More and more weapons seem to lead to more and more deaths. According to this, there are over 400 million firearms in the country – more than the total population of 328 million people.
Several major cities such as Chicago and Washington have declared the rise in gun crimes to be a “public health emergency”. The victims – and perpetrators – are increasingly including children. According to «Spiegel» this year alone, more than 850 children and young people were shot and more than 2,200 shot. For children and teenagers, death from gun violence is now the second leading cause of death after traffic accidents. Many die in gang wars among their peers.
Attempts by politicians to restrict gun ownership and make it more difficult usually come to nothing. Many Americans consider gun possession a tradition and their constitutional right. (kes)