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US gun ownership has been rising substantially, yet the homicide rate dropped by more than a factor of two between the 1990s and 2010s. In fact, the mid 2010s s

US gun ownership has been rising substantially, yet the homicide rate dropped by more than a factor of two between the 1990s and 2010s. In fact, the mid 2010s saw the lowest homicide rate in over 50 years. By comparison, contrary to popular belief, several European countries allow people to buy firearms with similar availability as the US. The main examples that come to mind are Switzerland, Serbia, and the Czech Republic. The last one also permits concealed carry of firearms - something several US states prohibit. Widespread availability of firearms is likely a magnifying factor in areas with conditions that lead to crime, but plenty of areas with widespread gun ownership like much of rural America have low homicide rates.

vlovich123 6y ago
Switzerland has 2 million private guns (excluding the guns for the militia) for a population of ~8.5 million. That’s about an arm rate of ~25% (not to mention that you need a permit for gun ownership & that’s tracked (with the Swiss voting in stricter gun tracking laws recently in 2019). By comparison, America has an estimated 353 million civilian guns, netting to just over each man, woman, & baby having a gun. Additionally, the laws are extremely lax meaning the government has poor records, enforcement, & a hodge-podge of laws across state lines around gun ownership. The type of superficial comparison that’s always trotted out in this kind of discussion is always so frustratingly predictable and superficial. Studies have repeatedly shown that in American society, increased gun availability directly tracks with homicides & mass casualty events. You can either regulate guns more akin to the nations you hold up as “exemplars” or make gun ownership less common. All attempts to regulate this situation in any way, shape, or form is regularly fought by Republicans, even for “common sense” legislation that has broad bipartisan appeal across party lines. Heck, often times people thing the government already does background checks for gun ownership without realizing the huge loopholes & intentional castrating of the background check process render the entire process a joke.

vlovich123 6y ago

Switzerland has 2 million private guns (excluding the guns for the militia) for a population of ~8.5 million. That’s about an arm rate of ~25% (not to mention that you need a permit for gun ownership & that’s tracked (with the Swiss voting in stricter gun tracking laws recently in 2019). By comparison, America has an estimated 353 million civilian guns, netting to just over each man, woman, & baby having a gun. Additionally, the laws are extremely lax meaning the government has poor records, enforcement, & a hodge-podge of laws across state lines around gun ownership. The type of superficial comparison that’s always trotted out in this kind of discussion is always so frustratingly predictable and superficial. Studies have repeatedly shown that in American society, increased gun availability directly tracks with homicides & mass casualty events. You can either regulate guns more akin to the nations you hold up as “exemplars” or make gun ownership less common. All attempts to regulate this situation in any way, shape, or form is regularly fought by Republicans, even for “common sense” legislation that has broad bipartisan appeal across party lines. Heck, often times people thing the government already does background checks for gun ownership without realizing the huge loopholes & intentional castrating of the background check process render the entire process a joke.