America's gun culture kills hundreds every day. Is 2nd amendment worth the lives lost? Here's the data
On May 24, 19 children and two adults were killed and 16 others were injured in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting has once again brought attention to the very divisive subject of gun violence in the United States.
Guns are a highly politicised issue, with proponents of gun control pitted against others who zealously defend their constitutionally protected right to bear arms.
The number of firearms per 100 people in the United States has increased to 120.5 from 88 in 2011. This is much higher than any other country.
Here are some statistics for you:
213 mass shootings in less than 5 months
Through mid-May, the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit group, had identified at least 213 mass shootings, defined as those involving four or more people killed or injured. Ten of the shootings resulted in four or more deaths.
Last year, the group counted 693 mass shootings, with 28 of them resulting in four or more deaths.
(Photograph:WION)
27 school shootings
This year, there have been 27 school shootings reports Education Week.
There were 27 people killed, 24 of whom were students or other children, and three of them were school officials or other adults. A total of 56 people were also hurt.
Since 2018, when the organisation began keeping track of such instances, there have been 119 school shootings. Last year, there were the most shootings, at 34. In 2020, there will be ten shootings, compared to 24 in each of the previous two years.
(Photograph:WION)
Firearms imports tripled in two decades
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives released a study that offered a vivid statistical portrayal of a nation arming itself to the teeth.
According to the most complete official tally of gun commerce in two decades, the United States is in the midst of a huge gun-buying boom that shows no signs of slowing down. The annual number of firearms manufactured has nearly tripled since 2000 and climbed substantially in the last three years.
(Photograph:WION)
Ghost guns - A pandemic
In the United States, gun production has more than tripled in the last 20 years, with 11.3 million firearms expected to be sold in 2020.
The number of "ghost guns" manufactured by 3D printers and from kits, increased from 30,238 in 2000 to 1,324,737 in 2020, and was the fastest increasing category. As technology advanced, the majority of the growth occurred in the second decade.
Over the last five years, only 0.98 percent of suspected "ghost firearms" handed in by law enforcement could be linked to individual buyers, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
(Photograph:WION)
Every day hundreds affected by gun violence
In 2020, firearm-related injuries were one of the top five causes of death in the United States for people aged 1 to 44.
Some people are more likely to be injured by firearms than others. Men make up 86 percent of all fatal gunshot victims and 87 percent of nonfatal gunshot injuries.
(Photograph:WION)