The U.S.’s culture of violence is killing us all

By César Chelala

August 18, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -The two recent mass shooting incidents in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, are one more manifestation of a culture of violence that threatens not only people’s lives but also the United States’ future as a civilized society.

Although violent incidents occur in other countries, they are not as frequent — or as deadly — as in the United States. The United States has the highest homicide-by-firearms rate among the world’s most developed nations.

Civilians in the United States own over 300 million guns, making Americans the most heavily armed people in the world on a per capita basis. By comparison, the police own approximately one million guns.

The United States doesn’t just have the most guns per capita, but also the weakest gun control laws of any developed country. It is estimated that at least 30% of American adults own a gun, and an additional 11% lives with someone who does.

Nearly 48% of U.S. adults grew up in a household with guns. Nearly two-thirds of Americans who own guns own more than one.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has been unrelenting in its efforts to influence lawmakers. Although the majority of Americans say that gun laws should be more restrictive than what they are today, lawmakers to a large extent are deaf to these demands.

The Supreme Court is complicit

To make matters even worse for gun control advocates, landmark Supreme Court rulings in 2008 and 2010 dramatically curtailed the authority of state and local governments to limit gun ownership.

In a banal act of macho posturing, almost half of the 50 states in the United States have adopted laws that allow gun owners to carry their guns openly in most public places.