End gun violence Gun violence is arguably the most divisive topic on the American political space. But we cannot afford to shy away from the conversation. On average, America loses 96 citizens to guns every day. This statistic is appalling, to say the least. It is even more shocking when one considers the fact that other developed countries boast much lower figures.A 2016 study showed that just being an American increases your chances of dying from agun homicide by2500%(in comparison with other wealthy nations). The figure would probably be higher now. In recent times, we’ve had Columbine, Las Vegas, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook to mention a few. The responses to all these shootings have been widely similar. The policy makers console the bereaved, sending their thoughts and prayers, the concerned citizens call for new gun laws and some other concerned citizens debate why we need new gun laws. Still, nothing changes. And we keep going round in circles until the next shooting. How big is the problem? The average American has a constitutional right to bear arms. Researchers from Harvard University report that there are more than 260 million privately owned guns in the country.In a country of 325 million people (with xxx people below 18), that’s an average of 1 gun per person. The simple fact is that there are already too many guns in the country and this makes it difficult to find a solution. Perhaps, it’s high time we faced the fact that guns aren’t going away. Even if they are, it can’t happen anytime soon. Do we then keep watching these senseless shootings happen while we wait? Practical steps to ending gun violence Below are five practical steps that could help us find a lasting solution to this menace. Replicate the success with RTA’s While deaths via gun homicides are on the increase, deaths via motor-vehicle accidents are on a decline. In 1975, there were about 33.5 deaths for every 1 billion miles traveled. Fast forward to 2016 and the number of deaths has reduced to 11.8. It’s true that safer cars and better roads have contributed greatly to this success but the role of more stringent driving restrictions cannot be overlooked. As opined by David Hemenway,director of the Injury Control Research Center at the Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health,owning a gun in many states in America is currently much easier than obtaining a driver’s’ license. Sensible gun laws should focus on raising the age restrictions but ensuring licensing and training for anyone who wishes to own a firearm. As published in the Journal of Urban Health in 2014,the repeal of the law that mandates gun-owners in Missouri to obtain a permit before purchasing led to a 25% increase in the rate of firearms homicide. One can only wonder why we are still lax about the laws.
LIFESTYLE
