Gun rights — the right to defend themselves or to sow death?
After the massacre in Las Vegas, which became the deadliest in American history, the debate about the need for more strict control over the armed citizens, of course, will flash with new force. But will they change anything?
Shooting in Las Vegas once again put the “top” of the public agenda, the debate on the free access to weapons.
This happens after every mass murder in America, and they, unfortunately, happen with depressing regularity.
The FBI defines “mass shooting” (“mass shooting”) as an incident with a firearm with four or more victims.
Over the past month (from 1 September to 1 October 2017) in the United States, there were 29 such incidents.
In 15 of those people died, just 86 people, 59 of them during the attack in Las Vegas. All in all since the beginning of the year in the United States occurred 273 such cases — that is, approximately one per day.
Citizens, to arms!
Americans love their weapons. According to a study by the Harvard school of public health, 42% was in private use of weapons in the world are in the United States.
A million citizens in the United States accounts for almost 30 murders by firearm. In Australia, compared to less than half. Even in heavily armed Switzerland, this figure is less than eight.
Popular tradition ascribes the fascination of Americans with firearms power of the gun lobby, represented in the public consciousness of the National rifle Association, greed gunsmiths and respectful attitude of citizens to the Constitution, which since the late eighteenth century allow Americans to own weapons.
In fact, the famous Second amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified December 15, 1791, reads: “Because a well-organized militia necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”.
According to research Professor at the University of Texas Zachary Elkins, only 15 constitutions of the countries of the world ever contained a provision on the right of citizens to bear arms. Mostly it was Latin America, and today there are only three in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States — and only in the us Constitution does not contain direct restrictions on this right.
Conducted over a number of years, polls by the Pew research center showed some interesting patterns.
For example, over the last two decades support the rights of citizens to arm themselves has increased significantly from 29% in 2000 to 51% in 2017, despite the fact that cases of mass murders, for example, in schools, Columbine and sandy hook, were in detail shined in mass media. It was also found that such episodes do little to affect the opinion of citizens: the advocates of the free possession of weapons and his opponents stand in his way.
The arguments for gun freedom can be summarized as stemming from the Second amendment right of citizens to self-defence.
In fact, she was taken to the citizens to resist the government if it will meet is a young democracy to establish a more habitual tyranny. However, after 200 years, the possibility of armed insurrection in the United States seriously consider only in the apocalyptic Hollywood production. But the right to defend yourself and your home from citizens had not been taken away.
In the case of a meeting with a robber or rapist a chance to disarm him with a kind word, a small, proponents of the right to bear arms. Statistics show that in the first nine months of this year in self-defense, the Americans shot and killed (and got) more than a thousand times — and that’s just the cases that failed to check the police report and media reports.