Legalizing gun ownership in the United States has contributed to a rise in armed conflict and, therefore, in the number of homicides and severe injuries. The possession of weapons is deeply ingrained in American culture, and according to official data, Americans possess more firearms than any other nation.
Surveys also indicate that about 393 million firearms are now in possession of American citizens, representing almost 4.6% of the world’s population. In other words, the United States has the world’s highest gun ownership per capita.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), the most influential pro-gun organization, spends millions of dollars annually (between $10 million and $60 million) lobbying public officials and legislators to abolish gun restrictions and block new anti-gun legislation from being enacted.
Prominent American sociologists believe that violence in the US has become a prevalent phenomenon. Thus, the citizens show insufficient sensitivity to the rising numbers of armed crimes.
Ronnie Dunn, a Ph.D. in Urban Studies at Cleveland State University, estimates that more than 100 Americans are murdered by guns daily, the vast majority of whom are from colored minority groups. Gun sales have surged with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. They reached 2.5 million in June 2020.
The relatively low price of the gun is another factor in its availability. For instance, a heavy automatic rifle costs $1,500, the same price as a MacBook. A pistol costs $ 200, which is the same as the cheapest laptop.
According to studies conducted by the Pew Research Center and Harvard University, about 40% of Americans said that they or a family member purchased a licensed weapon.
As a dangerous symptom of rising collective fear in the United States and skepticism about the state security establishment in maintaining social security, sociologists indicate that 67% of gun owners who completed questionnaires said they acquired weapons to protect their families.
According to the most recent poll, most Americans support the existing regulations for purchasing and possessing firearms.
Even in 2020, amid growing security concerns due to the pandemic, Americans have ardently advocated loosening restrictions on the sale of firearms.
Lastly, the United States has the highest per capita gun ownership rate among regular citizens; and the highest per capita suicide and firearm crime rates across the globe.
African American males are the most frequent victims, followed by women and children. Over the last three years, the alarming rise of armed attacks on public places using firearms has skyrocketed, prompting the Biden administration to take specific steps to limit the purchase and sale of firearms by ordinary citizens.
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