The United States is a first world country where people come to foster their dreams and live in peace and prosperity. However, the issue of gun violence is currently tarnishing the American image and raising questions about how ensure peoples' safety. This recent rise in mass shootings, particularly in schools, has people questioning the cause and the solutions to the gruesome issue. The U.S. is similar to many countries concerning mental health care and overall economic status but is an anomaly with shootings when in comparison. Many countries that have enacted stricter laws towards access of guns, have seen positive results. While some believe that stricter laws will have no affect or that the laws will be unenforceable, this is not true.
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In an article by Chris Weller, the U.K., a country akin to America, "passed legislation banning private ownership of hand guns, . . . semiautomatic and pump action firearms throughout the U.K.". The result is that of "50 to 60 gun deaths in England and Whales, which have an estimated population of 56 million" compared to the U.S. which has "more than 160 times as many gun related homicides" (Weller). This dramatic spike between the U.S. and the U.K., as alike as they are, is directly related to the access to guns. While guns are not entirely banned in the U.K., simply decreasing the number of semiautomatic weapons and guns in general has drastically lessened the amount of gun deaths and mass shootings. A second way to demonstrate the danger of simply access to firearms is to examine the correlation between number of guns owned and gun deaths. An article by Max Fisher and Josh Keller states that "the United States has 270 million guns and had 90 mass shooters from 1966 to 2012" and that "no other country has more than 46 million guns or 18 mass shooters". These statistics show a direct correlation between the number of guns people have access to and the amount of mass shootings and gun deaths in general. If legislation is made to simply limit access to military grade weapons or any gun in general, the evidence is clear that there would be a decrease in gun deaths. By comparing the U.S. to other countries so similar, a clear idea can be formulated about what the solution to such a high number of gun deaths and mass shootings that has currently become a crisis in
In an article by Chris Weller, the U.K., a country akin to America, "passed legislation banning private ownership of hand guns, . . . semiautomatic and pump action firearms throughout the U.K.". The result is that of "50 to 60 gun deaths in England and Whales, which have an estimated population of 56 million" compared to the U.S. which has "more than 160 times as many gun related homicides" (Weller). This dramatic spike between the U.S. and the U.K., as alike as they are, is directly related to the access to guns. While guns are not entirely banned in the U.K., simply decreasing the number of semiautomatic weapons and guns in general has drastically lessened the amount of gun deaths and mass shootings. A second way to demonstrate the danger of simply access to firearms is to examine the correlation between number of guns owned and gun deaths. An article by Max Fisher and Josh Keller states that "the United States has 270 million guns and had 90 mass shooters from 1966 to 2012" and that "no other country has more than 46 million guns or 18 mass shooters". These statistics show a direct correlation between the number of guns people have access to and the amount of mass shootings and gun deaths in general. If legislation is made to simply limit access to military grade weapons or any gun in general, the evidence is clear that there would be a decrease in gun deaths. By comparing the U.S. to other countries so similar, a clear idea can be formulated about what the solution to such a high number of gun deaths and mass shootings that has currently become a crisis in