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Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and John Lennon were all shot and killed by gunmen.
Twenty-three people died when a man began shooting in a restaurant in Texas.
An angry ex-employee returned to his office and shot many of his former co-workers.
A series of six schoolyard murders left 17 people dead and 44 wounded over a nine-month period.
Guns for protection
Freedom and defence
Therefore many Americans think that the right to own and bear arms is a fundamental principle. The American freedom and democracy were founded on the gun.
Only 150 years ago the western part of the US was a rather wild place. Cowboys and pioneers sometimes came into conflict with the Indians and other settlers. Hunting and protection from animals were important for their survival, and firearms became a part of their culture.
Today 31 out of 50 states have “right to carry” laws, permitting citizens to carry concealed firearms. Half the US population lives in these 31 states.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a very powerful interest group in America. It has about 3 million members, and the president is a woman. Many women see firearms as a way of fighting male violence. They argue that men are less likely to attack them if they think the woman may be carrying a concealed weapon.
Keeping a weapon ready for use increases the risk of accidents. Yearly about 1000 people die because of unintentional shootings, many of them are children.
A survey found that 59% of parents who admitted to having a gun in the house did not lock the gun away from their children. One may ask if the guns or the people behind them are the biggest problem! People who have lost family or friends have the strongest feelings, they either want gun control or they defend the laws. To many Americans the question of firearms is a question of freedom.