I read hunting humans when it was first published and recall it as a brilliant and seminal book . Your article reminded me of the relationship between self perception as “ a loser” and the tragic outcome when guns are available and when victims are merely props to spectacular suicides. Trump’s categorizing those who anger him as losers would place this division firmly in the frame of American life . America is a cruel and unforgiving country for many and your article points to two systems which will never change : Hollywood’s glorification of violence, and the NRA propagation of gun ownership, which does the same : they sell so very well!
You certainly hit all the Leftist talking points and if only they were true. As a matter of fact, homicide stats offer a dearth of NRA members. In fact law abiding gun owners stop millions of crimes every year. Finally "hunting" is no such thing as the sine qua non of the thrill of the chase is scarcity and its anathema to "killing" So if you enjoy reading, consider this. https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/jose-ortega-y-gassets-greatest-quotes-about-hunting/
If only the NRA cared about the appropriate use of guns and weapons, but they seem not to care at ALL. If the NRA devoted itself to not selling to people like each one of those who murdered innocents. If they had a mission to require gun owners to learn how to avoid harming other human beings....
It's not "leftist" talking points, it's common sense talking points. Canadians cannot just March into their local gun shop, but a firearm, and just walk out with it. There is a rigorous process and background checks that must be completed beforehand, and "we the people", via the gov't we have instituted to secure our rights, can remove firearms from those who are considered a danger.
Did you see my link above? Since the 90’s it’s not been possible to walk into a store in the US and buy without a background check. That is when the federal registration system went into place. And do you live in Canada? Trudeau is pushing thru a ban on all handgun sales. Good Luck with trying to protect you and your family in the rise of violent crime in Canada.
I checked your statement about background checks in the US and this was the very first thing that caught my eye. "Current federal law requires background checks to be performed for anyone purchasing a firearm at a federally licensed gun dealer–however only 40% of guns sold in the US are sold through a federally licensed dealer. In most states, sales at gun shows, flea markets, and private gun sales are not subject to regulations." That seems to leave a lot of room for men - and some women, I suppose - who should never be in possession of firearms to acquire them.
I am Canadian and do not worry at all about gun violence where I live. It exists, to be sure. Criminals and criminal gangs have always operated here but a straight citizen has to be beyond unlucky to be hurt by them.
But if I were concerned enough to take steps to defend myself, what would be sufficient? Just being armed wouldn't be enough unless you were to carry your weapon(s) with you and were constantly vigilant to the exclusion of much of the rest of your life. Better simply to move into a protected gated community.
You are wrong. EVERY firearm when it is new is sold ONLY through a federally licensed dealer and that is done with a background check and they are liable to prosecution if they dont. Yes, individuals have the freedom to sell their firearms to other people that meet that states requirements. PS - Do you really think the average American fears for there life? What they fear is the leftist govt that has perpetuated a lawless inner city where the homicide rate is 100 times the rest of the country.
So you, for instance, could purchase an unlimited number of firearms through a federally licensed dealer and then sell them on and neither you nor your purchasers would have to file paperwork? If I have that right, it seems to me to be a recipe for disaster.
I don't think the average American fears they are going to be shot and killed anymore than I do. But the average American doesn't live in the inner city do they? By the way, I'm not sure what leftist gov't you're talking about.
The Supreme Court has overturned the New York law that restricted concealed carry. Should that make the average American citizen living in New York feel safer? I think the contrary. The police are not going to feel more secure knowing that any idiot might be loaded for bear. They can no longer pull dangerous people off the streets simply for carrying a concealed weapon. If you're riding the subway and someone looks at you in a manner you might believe to be intimidating and then reaches into an inner pocket, what do you do if (1) you are armed, or (2) you are not armed?
Thanks Diane. As a Canadian I find the tolerance of the stupidity of allowing almost anyone and everyone to have a gun the mystery. Then to me much of what happens in America is a mystery.
Excellent! As a Canadian, I (including my spouse) have lost the desire to travel to the US and spend months in the sunny south during our cold winters. Maybe all foreign tourists should stop travelling to the US to show them how backward their love for the Second Amendment has become? Hollywood also does not really show the true effects of being hit by a bullet; the victim gets back up until shot 10 plus times. Where's the reality check?
Thank you for your well-researched article. Bottom line: Australia's and Canada's governments have taken dramatic steps that have had a powerful impact on lessening random insane mass murders. ?? maybe James Smace disagrees.
Sociologically, as Leyton pointed out, Canada, Australia, Europe etc are "healthier" because they are not pathologically competitive and judgmental toward young males unable to achieve. the increase cannot be looked at nominally over time, but per capita and compared to America's "cancerous" pathology of gun violence. In Canada most murders are family-related, gang-related and gun, as we saw in the hideous Nova Scotia rampage, can easily be smuggled in from the US.
The quality of life in the US, Mexico and Canada is being affected by an endless number of factors, but I think it is clear that an entire population being armed has not protected those who are innocent bystanders. Every one of the people who stood on the sidewalks recently, to watch a July 4th Parade could have been carrying a concealed weapon, and none of those would have been able to defend them against a hiding assassin, armed with a high powered rifle. Likewise, home invaders know that the odds of a homeowner having a handgun under his or her pillow does not stop the criminal from trying to rob you. They believe they have the upper hand, and I think they are correct. So for me, those who say they want a gun so they can defend themselves, is becoming a less valid argument. Different when you are on a battlefield. You best be armed. Who your enemy is is a whole bunch clearer in war...but not always, if you talk to Vietnam War vets.
The Texas Tower shooting marks nothing except one of the first instances of a brain tumor causing manic and violent behavior. Subsequent mass shootings are tied to heavy marijuana use. The other huge issue is gang murders, aka what happens every weekend in Chicago where there are no gun shops and virtually no legal ownership of a means of protecting oneself. That is why the "hood" in Chicago has a homicide rate of about 200/100,000 whereas the worst cities in the days of the Wild West were 50 times lower - about 4 per 100,000. So if one controls for demographics, the US is safer than most European countries where the weapon of choice is the knife. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-43610936
So keeping in mind that present day sections of Chicago are more dangerous than the Wild West, its logical that crime would be reduced if people there could protect themselves. This in fact has been proven. Where crime has become rampant, allowing the average person to protect themselves has REDUCED crime. https://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Less-Crime-Understanding/dp/0226493660
Do you even bother reading the information to which I am linking? Including gang related crime areas, the US is well above average in gun homicides. If we include all weapons, other cities in the West are more dangerous. But you knew that. You want to outlaw guns. Unfortunately, the most successful democratic republic has done quit well with a different plan which empowers each citizen in the most fundamental way. It is the best guarantee against tyranny and genocide which necessarily requires an unarmed citizenry.
Its difficult to follow your reasoning. You say that despite stringent gun laws in Canada (Trudeau has banned the sale of handguns), outlaws still have guns. Your observation proves that When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. People will not be able to defend themselves and then you have rampant crime by thugs who have nothing to fear.
Why do you say there is easy access? The law requires a background check and has done so since the 1998. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics. The only thing that is easy in the US is being a criminal. One can now go into a store in many major cities and steal up to some hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise. The police will not prosecute. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics
Again, it is difficult to follow your reasoning. You say you witnessed private sales of firearms in Florida but by what leap of faith are we to derive a conclusion about perpetrator demographics. Why not simply use the FBI breakdown of perp demographics. As it turns out, young black males account for nearly half the gun homicides despite comprising only 3% of the population. https://www.amren.com/news/2020/09/fbi-blacks-made-up-55-9-of-known-murder-offenders-in-2019/
I read hunting humans when it was first published and recall it as a brilliant and seminal book . Your article reminded me of the relationship between self perception as “ a loser” and the tragic outcome when guns are available and when victims are merely props to spectacular suicides. Trump’s categorizing those who anger him as losers would place this division firmly in the frame of American life . America is a cruel and unforgiving country for many and your article points to two systems which will never change : Hollywood’s glorification of violence, and the NRA propagation of gun ownership, which does the same : they sell so very well!
You certainly hit all the Leftist talking points and if only they were true. As a matter of fact, homicide stats offer a dearth of NRA members. In fact law abiding gun owners stop millions of crimes every year. Finally "hunting" is no such thing as the sine qua non of the thrill of the chase is scarcity and its anathema to "killing" So if you enjoy reading, consider this. https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/jose-ortega-y-gassets-greatest-quotes-about-hunting/
If only the NRA cared about the appropriate use of guns and weapons, but they seem not to care at ALL. If the NRA devoted itself to not selling to people like each one of those who murdered innocents. If they had a mission to require gun owners to learn how to avoid harming other human beings....
It's not "leftist" talking points, it's common sense talking points. Canadians cannot just March into their local gun shop, but a firearm, and just walk out with it. There is a rigorous process and background checks that must be completed beforehand, and "we the people", via the gov't we have instituted to secure our rights, can remove firearms from those who are considered a danger.
Did you see my link above? Since the 90’s it’s not been possible to walk into a store in the US and buy without a background check. That is when the federal registration system went into place. And do you live in Canada? Trudeau is pushing thru a ban on all handgun sales. Good Luck with trying to protect you and your family in the rise of violent crime in Canada.
I checked your statement about background checks in the US and this was the very first thing that caught my eye. "Current federal law requires background checks to be performed for anyone purchasing a firearm at a federally licensed gun dealer–however only 40% of guns sold in the US are sold through a federally licensed dealer. In most states, sales at gun shows, flea markets, and private gun sales are not subject to regulations." That seems to leave a lot of room for men - and some women, I suppose - who should never be in possession of firearms to acquire them.
I am Canadian and do not worry at all about gun violence where I live. It exists, to be sure. Criminals and criminal gangs have always operated here but a straight citizen has to be beyond unlucky to be hurt by them.
But if I were concerned enough to take steps to defend myself, what would be sufficient? Just being armed wouldn't be enough unless you were to carry your weapon(s) with you and were constantly vigilant to the exclusion of much of the rest of your life. Better simply to move into a protected gated community.
You are wrong. EVERY firearm when it is new is sold ONLY through a federally licensed dealer and that is done with a background check and they are liable to prosecution if they dont. Yes, individuals have the freedom to sell their firearms to other people that meet that states requirements. PS - Do you really think the average American fears for there life? What they fear is the leftist govt that has perpetuated a lawless inner city where the homicide rate is 100 times the rest of the country.
So you, for instance, could purchase an unlimited number of firearms through a federally licensed dealer and then sell them on and neither you nor your purchasers would have to file paperwork? If I have that right, it seems to me to be a recipe for disaster.
I don't think the average American fears they are going to be shot and killed anymore than I do. But the average American doesn't live in the inner city do they? By the way, I'm not sure what leftist gov't you're talking about.
The Supreme Court has overturned the New York law that restricted concealed carry. Should that make the average American citizen living in New York feel safer? I think the contrary. The police are not going to feel more secure knowing that any idiot might be loaded for bear. They can no longer pull dangerous people off the streets simply for carrying a concealed weapon. If you're riding the subway and someone looks at you in a manner you might believe to be intimidating and then reaches into an inner pocket, what do you do if (1) you are armed, or (2) you are not armed?
I couldn't agree more with this.
Thanks Diane. As a Canadian I find the tolerance of the stupidity of allowing almost anyone and everyone to have a gun the mystery. Then to me much of what happens in America is a mystery.
Excellent! As a Canadian, I (including my spouse) have lost the desire to travel to the US and spend months in the sunny south during our cold winters. Maybe all foreign tourists should stop travelling to the US to show them how backward their love for the Second Amendment has become? Hollywood also does not really show the true effects of being hit by a bullet; the victim gets back up until shot 10 plus times. Where's the reality check?
Please do.
Thank you for your well-researched article. Bottom line: Australia's and Canada's governments have taken dramatic steps that have had a powerful impact on lessening random insane mass murders. ?? maybe James Smace disagrees.
Its not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. Its a matter of recognizing the fact that crime is increasing in Canada thanks to minority gang violence. https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-07-09/as-gun-violence-rises-in-canada-weapons-from-the-u-s-complicate-gun-control-efforts
True but gun control legislation in Canada is on a different planet to in the USA.
So how is it that Canada has become so restrictive as to ban the sale of pistols yet gun violence grows? Cant you follow the trajectory?
Sociologically, as Leyton pointed out, Canada, Australia, Europe etc are "healthier" because they are not pathologically competitive and judgmental toward young males unable to achieve. the increase cannot be looked at nominally over time, but per capita and compared to America's "cancerous" pathology of gun violence. In Canada most murders are family-related, gang-related and gun, as we saw in the hideous Nova Scotia rampage, can easily be smuggled in from the US.
You misspelled Socialistically and yes that’s why the great inventions and enterprises in the past century come from the US
Diane, fabulous article, we’ll researched and summarized.
Thank you,
Roman Zakaluzny
Canada
The quality of life in the US, Mexico and Canada is being affected by an endless number of factors, but I think it is clear that an entire population being armed has not protected those who are innocent bystanders. Every one of the people who stood on the sidewalks recently, to watch a July 4th Parade could have been carrying a concealed weapon, and none of those would have been able to defend them against a hiding assassin, armed with a high powered rifle. Likewise, home invaders know that the odds of a homeowner having a handgun under his or her pillow does not stop the criminal from trying to rob you. They believe they have the upper hand, and I think they are correct. So for me, those who say they want a gun so they can defend themselves, is becoming a less valid argument. Different when you are on a battlefield. You best be armed. Who your enemy is is a whole bunch clearer in war...but not always, if you talk to Vietnam War vets.
The Texas Tower shooting marks nothing except one of the first instances of a brain tumor causing manic and violent behavior. Subsequent mass shootings are tied to heavy marijuana use. The other huge issue is gang murders, aka what happens every weekend in Chicago where there are no gun shops and virtually no legal ownership of a means of protecting oneself. That is why the "hood" in Chicago has a homicide rate of about 200/100,000 whereas the worst cities in the days of the Wild West were 50 times lower - about 4 per 100,000. So if one controls for demographics, the US is safer than most European countries where the weapon of choice is the knife. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-43610936
Are you saying availability of guns isn’t the problem? Gun crimes in Toronto involve smuggled US guns 80% of the time, we’re told.
So keeping in mind that present day sections of Chicago are more dangerous than the Wild West, its logical that crime would be reduced if people there could protect themselves. This in fact has been proven. Where crime has become rampant, allowing the average person to protect themselves has REDUCED crime. https://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Less-Crime-Understanding/dp/0226493660
If you’re correct America should be the safest place on earth! Cheers!
Do you even bother reading the information to which I am linking? Including gang related crime areas, the US is well above average in gun homicides. If we include all weapons, other cities in the West are more dangerous. But you knew that. You want to outlaw guns. Unfortunately, the most successful democratic republic has done quit well with a different plan which empowers each citizen in the most fundamental way. It is the best guarantee against tyranny and genocide which necessarily requires an unarmed citizenry.
Its difficult to follow your reasoning. You say that despite stringent gun laws in Canada (Trudeau has banned the sale of handguns), outlaws still have guns. Your observation proves that When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. People will not be able to defend themselves and then you have rampant crime by thugs who have nothing to fear.
What I’m suggesting is that the easy access of guns in America might be a factor in your rate; and is affecting gun violence here!
Why do you say there is easy access? The law requires a background check and has done so since the 1998. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics. The only thing that is easy in the US is being a criminal. One can now go into a store in many major cities and steal up to some hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise. The police will not prosecute. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics
But you do understand that many of your gun crimes are committed by people who bought their weapons legally?
As a snow bird I’ve been to gun shows in FL where restrictions on purchasing were a joke.
I think Diane’s article makes the case.
Unfortunately the US has so many distributed already this problem will be around for a long time.
Again, it is difficult to follow your reasoning. You say you witnessed private sales of firearms in Florida but by what leap of faith are we to derive a conclusion about perpetrator demographics. Why not simply use the FBI breakdown of perp demographics. As it turns out, young black males account for nearly half the gun homicides despite comprising only 3% of the population. https://www.amren.com/news/2020/09/fbi-blacks-made-up-55-9-of-known-murder-offenders-in-2019/