The frequency at which mass shootings in this country occur is startling. I think anyone would agree that something needs to change. However, gun-control advocates are misleading the public on several key facts and in some cases, straight out lying.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the organization backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, recently posted a chart of 74 school shootings since Newtown. According to CNN, only 15 of those 74 school shootings involved a gunman “actively shooting inside or near a school”.
Another way gun control advocates try to mislead the public on guns is by pretending gun violence in America is at an all-time high and getting worse by the day. That, it turns out, is also a lie. Last year, Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group, released charts revealing the real gun violence trends in the U.S.
In that same study, Pew Research found that the majority of Americans think gun violence has increased.
Pew Research helps my point even further by stating “Public mass shootings are rare crimes that account for less than one percent of gun homicides.” Even the rate of firearms deaths, that’s including suicide, has fallen since 1993.
There’s no denying that America is a very violent country. But so are other countries like the United Kingdom, for example. The UK has a higher violent crime rate per 100,000 people than the U.S. does. Just because the citizens of the UK and other countries don’t have access to firearms, doesn’t mean they aren’t violent.
Gun death statistics laid out by gun control advocates often include suicides in the data. This, again, is a misleading tactic. The fact is, people use whatever they have access to, to take their own lives. If they can’t get a gun, they use rope, a tall building, or drugs.
Overall, I’d say the efforts to mislead Americans on the issue of guns and gun violence is apparent. The Left has an agenda they want to carry out. President Obama himself recently cited Australia’s gun ban as something to aspire to. That should make any freedom-loving American sick to their stomach. Our Commander and Chief has zero understanding or appreciation for the Second Amendment, or the rest of the Constitution for that matter.
Our country needs to have a serious, meaningful discussion on the topic of gun violence, and specifically mass shootings. The answer to this problem is not to ban certain weapons, magazines, or limit the amount of ammunition you can buy. It certainly isn’t creating a national registry of gun owners either.
Here are a few simple ways we can make progress as a nation:
1. Strengthen the national background check that already exists.
We can accomplish this by adding additional records to the database like mental illnesses.
2. Stop giving the mass murderers so much fame.
The media reports each major shooting and makes the shooter a virtual celebrity. If each shooter is dealt with quietly and swiftly brought to justice, copycat shootings might be reduced.
3. Change our culture.
American culture is a violent one. At home, children play extremely violent and graphic video games for fun. These kinds of activities cannot be healthy for our kids.
4. More research
We should try to learn what causes these people to go on shooting sprees. With this information, we may be able to pick up on the traits early get them help.