Post AU3oDtAlcGvrqcO7CS by RuthZ@better.boston
(DIR) More posts by RuthZ@better.boston
(DIR) Post #AU3oDnHzUV95bHincu by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:04Z
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A few hours ago I tooted the following:You cannot shoot a child if you don’t have a gun. It’s that simple.This inspired a lengthy thread with vigorous debate on whether it’s the #guns or other factors at the root of all the #gunviolence we see in the #USA.As someone in gun violence prevention I would like to offer some data points for consideration. 1/x
(DIR) Post #AU3oDpccokq6prOJ4C by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:04Z
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We have a lot more #guns in the US than ever before. And I mean a lot. Gun sales went through the roof during the pandemic: “Eighteen percent of U.S. households purchased a gun since the start of the pandemic (March 2020–March 2022), according to new survey data from NORC at the University of Chicago, increasing the percentage of U.S. adults living in a household with a gun to 46%. Over this period, one in 20 adults in America (5%) purchased a gun for the first time.”2/x https://www.norc.org/NewsEventsPublications/PressReleases/Pages/one-in-five-american-households-purchased-a-gun-during-the-pandemic.aspx
(DIR) Post #AU3oDqkobmz8LYEMTI by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:05Z
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Underscoring the ubiquitous nature of guns in American society, we have more guns than people, with an ever increasing number of guns being manufactured: “American gunmakers produced more than 9 million guns a year on average between 2016 and 2020.” The current estimation is that there are over 400 million guns in civilian circulation. Meanwhile, we have about 332 million people. 3/x https://www.thetrace.org/2023/03/guns-america-data-atf-total/
(DIR) Post #AU3oDrz22Px29vtEGm by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:05Z
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States with weak gun laws have higher rates of gun deaths. “Massachusetts has adopted 37 of the 50 [recommended] policies and has the second-lowest rate of gun deaths… Louisiana and Wyoming are among the top five states with the highest gun deaths and the weakest gun safety laws.” 4/x https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/us/everytown-weak-gun-laws-high-gun-deaths-study States with weaker gun laws have higher rates of firearm related homicides and suicides, study finds
(DIR) Post #AU3oDtAlcGvrqcO7CS by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:06Z
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More gun stores are correlated with more gun deaths: “…when the number of gun dealerships within 100 miles of a given area went up, the number of gun homicides in that area also increased in subsequent years—even as nongun killings declined overall.” 5/x https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-gun-stores-open-gun-homicides-increase/
(DIR) Post #AU3oDuNZ8AlRabNqmu by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:06Z
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Gun violence is incredibly complex. No one policy is going to solve it. In fact, just policy change alone won’t solve it. But as someone in gun violence prevention, I do believe we can make meaningful change - through a combination of strengthening our laws, investing in community based solutions, and listening to data and research. And alongside all that complexity, there is a piece that remains true. You can’t shoot someone if you don’t have a gun in your hand. 6/x
(DIR) Post #AU3oDvcUWAIVRBNHgu by RuthZ@better.boston
2023-03-28T01:10:06Z
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I’ll leave you with one final thought. Every country on the planet has conflict, hate, racism, domestic violence, people in crisis, etc. But all of those things are way more likely to become lethal here in the United States. Why? Because here in the U.S., we have more guns than people. 7/x