Letter: Gun ownership in the U.S. is outrageously high

Posted 2/26/21

In the Feb. 18 Bristol Phoenix, the opinion page includes a long letter disputing the fact that the rise in violent crime is directly related to the rise in gun ownership. The author neglects to …

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Letter: Gun ownership in the U.S. is outrageously high

Posted

In the Feb. 18 Bristol Phoenix, the opinion page includes a long letter disputing the fact that the rise in violent crime is directly related to the rise in gun ownership. The author neglects to state that his views are those of the NRA, which is self-destructing faster than a Trump casino can implode. The real facts and data don’t lie.

The fact is gun ownership in the USA in 2020 is outrageously high. Currently, 121 guns are owned in the USA for 100 people, in comparison with Canada, where ownership is 35 guns per 100 people.

The facts are that homicides in the USA per capita are seven times more than in Canada, and that there were 255 mass shootings in the USA last year compared to 0 in Canada.

There is no logical explanation for why all these guns are needed. Paranoia is no excuse. It is easy to appreciate the greater sense of freedom and security that comes from living in a more gun-free society like Canada.

The difference of course is that Americans feel entitled to own a gun or an assault weapon based on another Big Lie fostered by the gun lobby, based on the Second Amendment of the Constitution. In Canada, gun ownership is dependent on common sense rather than an 18th-century fear of a hostile foreign monarchy. In Canada, except for hunting purposes, a citizen must explain clearly on the RCMP license application why owning a firearm is necessary or required.

There can be no logical reason or practical purpose for someone to bring a firearm to a school or to a permitted political protest. With proper civic security and municipal policing, that idea is totally ridiculous and beyond common sense. It is also an obvious betrayal of any patriotic or democratic motive.

George Burman
Bristol

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