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Guns, Deaths And The Power Of Money In The US

By Fazal M. Kamal

27 February, 2014
Countercurrents.org

Consider these stats as provided by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States . In 2010, guns took the lives of 31,076 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings.  This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour . 73,505 Americans were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal gunshot wounds the same year. Firearms were the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide in 2010, following poisoning and motor vehicle accidents.

Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period. In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the US , however, every seven weeks .

Moreover, guns were used in 11,078 homicides in the U.S. in 2010, comprising almost 35% of all gun deaths, and over 68% of all homicides. On average, 33 gun homicides were committed each day for the years 2005-2010. And it's worth noting that regions and states with higher rates of gun ownership have significantly higher rates of homicide than states with lower rates of gun ownership.

In addition, firearms were used in 19,392 suicides in the U.S. in 2010, constituting almost 62% of all gun deaths. Over 50% of all suicides are committed with a firearm. On average, 49 gun suicides were committed each day for the years 2005-2010. A study of California handgun purchasers found that in the first year after the purchase of a handgun, suicide was the leading cause of death among the purchasers. Firearms were used in nearly 44% of suicide deaths among persons under age 25 in the year under review.

Other figures show that more than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of 0-19 year-olds were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend. The risk of suicide increases in homes where guns are kept loaded and/or unlocked. In 2010, unintentional firearm injuries caused the deaths of 606 people. From 2005-2010, almost 3,800 people in the US died from unintentional shootings. Over 1,300 victims of unintentional shootings for the period 2005–2010 were under 25 years of age.

Now consider this: Given that horrifying backdrop it is, at the very least, utterly mindboggling that it has been extremely difficult---almost impossible---to enact appropriate legislation to bring some modicum of control over firearm purchase in the United States . The primary reasons for this state of affairs are rather simple even though the gun lovers' arguments are based on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State , the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” A convenient interpretation of this has been utilized with enormous zeal by the gun lobby to thwart attempts to instill sanity in gun ownership laws. However, as reported by the Law Center to prevent gun violence:

“Four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court singlehandedly inserted the judicial system into the ongoing national debate over gun laws in America . In a 5-4 decision in 2008's District of Columbia v. Heller , the Court invalidated the District of Columbia 's handgun ban and firearm storage law, stating for the first time that the Second Amendment protects a responsible, law-abiding citizen's right to possess an operable handgun in the home for self-defense.”

This decision was unquestionably a radical decision, overturning the Court's previous ruling that the Second Amendment was tied to state militia service. For almost seventy years, lower federal and state courts nationwide had relied on that pronouncement to reject hundreds of Second Amendment challenges.” Obviously it was a victory for people who want to have the unfettered liberty to own and use guns.

Ultimately of course, as is well known around the world, nothing speaks louder and nothing has more power than money. Therefore it's not surprising then that firearm manufacturers and dealers have poured huge amounts of funds to create powerful lobbies all across the country to promote their notions and defend their ability to amass wealth. The National Rifle Association (NRA), consequently, is one of the most powerful organizations in the US and has compelling influence over many members of Congress aside from conspicuous support among politicians in many states even where a majority of people seek tighter controls.

And here's something that should make it all pretty clear: A report released by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) entitled Blood Money II: How Gun Industry Dollars Fund the NRA , says an account in The Raw Story, disproves the NRA's claim that it receives no money from the gun industry . The NRA has received at least $1 million from the Freedom Group, which manufactured the Bushmaster assault weapon used in the December 2013 mass-shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut” where 26 people including 20 students were gunned down.

At the annual meeting of the NRA in May 2013, the Freedom Group was inducted into the NRA's “Golden Ring of Freedom” which is reserved for those groups that have “given gifts of cash totaling $1,000,000 or more.” Another inductee, according to the VPC, was Smith & Wesson, which manufactured the assault weapon that was used in the July 2012 shooting in Aurora , Colorado , when a gunman shot and killed 12 people in a movie theater and wounded another seventy.

The terrifying facts don't end there. According to a study, there are about 310 million guns in the country . About 40% of households have them, down from about 50% in the 1960s. But, according to report, “the overall number of guns has increased to about one gun per person, up from one gun for every two persons in the 1960s. This means that gun ownership has gotten much more concentrated among fewer households: if you own one gun, you probably own several. America has the highest rate of gun ownership of any country in the world, by a wide margin.”

New York Senator Chuck Schumer recently mocked the notion that gun laws were unconstitutional because of the Second Amendment stating, “To not talk about guns when it comes to gun violence is to not talk about smoking when it comes to lung cancer… It just doesn't make any sense.” He said it was unnecessary to have 100-round magazines or assault rifles for self-defense, two items that President Barack Obama proposed banning recently. Elaborating, the Senator added, “We have anti-pornography laws. We have anti-libel laws. There are reasonable limitations. And some in the pro-gun movement, and the NRA in many instances, don't believe in any limitation at all. That is not unconstitutional, that just is dumb.”

A report in the magazine The Atlantic underscored that “the U.S. also has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, by far. The best data is from the 2007 Small Arms Survey , which notes: With less than 5% of the world's population, the United States is home to roughly 35-50 percent of the world's civilian-owned guns, heavily skewing the global geography of firearms and any relative comparison.”

In spite of the obvious appalling facts a debate persists with various people arguing on different grounds---while the random shootings continue. This is, evidently, beyond comprehension and way beyond belief. To any rational mind it is simply irrational. A rational mind will also wonder when, if ever, will the lure of lucre subside in the face of all these deaths.  

The writer has been a media professional, in print and online newspapers as editor and commentator, and in public affairs, for over forty years.

 

 



 

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