The Gun Culture

The Second Amendment of the United States of America clearly states that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed". This fragment of the Constitution has caused the American nation to adopt a very particular gun policy and culture throughout its history. In spite of being a focal point in the American identity, this law has led to terrible consequences that has jeopardized the so-called positive impact of the Second Amendment.

The truth is that the United States does not want to change. Why are they so stubborn when it comes to guns? Is it the ominous presence of the NRA (National Rifle Association) or sheer convincement that this policy actually contributes to society? In 1999, the Columbine Massacre in Littleton, Colorado became the first warning that these constitutional issues should be assessed. After Columbine came Virginia Tech, then Sandy Hook Elementary, and recently Umpqua Community College. The list of school shootings never seems to be enough for the people in power that can actually make a difference. By using the voice of Michael Moore and Jim Jefferies (yes, a comedian), sumed up with my own arguments, I will explain the root of the gun culture in America and how the arguments of those who are pro-Second Amendment are not well fundamented.

A common mistake: "guns make us safe".  If this was true, America should then be the safest country in the world. Take a look at the amount of guns per capita around the world. United States tops the ranking with 112 guns per 100 citizens meanwhile Tunisia (the only democracy in the Arab world), holds the last place with 0.01 guns per 100 citizens. There are more guns than people in the United States...

Now let´s correlate that data with the amount of gun-related-deaths per year around the world  extracted from Michael Moore´s 2002 film, Bowling for Columbine.

Japan- 39
United Kingdom- 68
Canada- 165
France- 255
Germany- 381
United States- 11,127

American citizens try to justify their violence with a number of unrelated causes. We have a lot of unemployment in the United States; America´s unemployment rate is 5%, a smaller percentage than Canada (7.1%) and France (10.8%). We have a lot of people that listen to heavy metal music; Scandinavia is the world capital of heavy metal music along with Germany. We have a very vast ethnic diversity; a study called Fearon´s analysis demonstrates that Australia and France are more culturally fractionalized than the United States. We have a very violent history; the German Holocaust, French massacre in Algeria, Japan´s brutal killings in Nan Jing, and the British massacre in India all sound like love stories.

So what is the cause? Moore attributes it to the culture of fear that the government has always proposed to its citizens. America is always under attack from threats of the outer world. Once they were the British, then came the blacks, the Germans in the World Wars, alcohol during Prohibition, communism in the Cold War, and now the muslims. The Shock Doctrine terrorizes the New World into seeking protection around nuclear warheads and subsequently haunts families that can only find their security in the acquisition of arms.

"I need a gun to protect me and my family". You become a gun owner because you want to have one in case a criminal breaks into your house. To be a responsible gun owner you can´t have it lying around because one of your kids can easily grab it and accidentally shoot himself or another person. "I have my gun stored in a safe place"...in that case...it can´t protect you! If a burglar breaks into your place, you will have to run to your security safe and retrieve it; the robber won´t give you time and he will subdue you before you can reach your gun. And being honest, most of those criminals are just thieves that want money or home appliances, not your lives...how many enemies do you think you have?

The real reason why the Second Amendment was written was so that in case the government became tyrannical, you could create a militia to fight back and overthrow them. Many years ago, this would sound as a great argument that advocates for gun ownership. But if this does happens in the United States, do their citizens realize that they are bringing revolvers and rifles to a fight against machine guns, tanks, missile launchers, and chemical weapons? Sound fair and logical.

Being honest the United States doesn´t change the laws because they like guns. Gun conventions, propaganda, magazines... I don´t see anyone organizing a "Home Security Convention" or changing their shooting profile pictures with one in which they are installing a lock. They are called assault rifles, not protection rifles. The thrill of shooting is strong in America, and there would be nothing wrong with it if there were no crazy people that cracked and started shooting everybody. Thus, the Constitution must be changed.

As Jefferies says, some people will argue: "You cannot change the Second Amendment!". Yes you can........it´s called an amendment! And it´s been done before. Take Prohibiton for example, which ocurred from 1920 to 1933 in a period where the Drys and Anti-Saloon League provoked the 18th Amendment in the U.S Constitution. It was illegal to produce and sell alcohol for thirteen years, but eventually the people showed their disagreement and pressured Franklin D. Roosevelt to change it. The 18th Amenment was cancelled by the new 21st Amendment and people could finally drink in peace. The government bestows alcohol but keeps the faith in gun possesion.

If you are a truly responsible gun owner, you should be allowed to have one, but that is not how society works. We have to keep pace with the last runt of the litter, we have to give up things in order to keep peace, we abandon some of our vices (drivin recklessly, drug consumption, etc..) because some people can´t deal with them. If U.S citizen´s can´t renounce to guns for the greater good of their society, then they will be fighting against what America has always strived for: democracy.

Forsake. Will the reign of careless individuality prevail?

Curious, because the last time I checked the Constitution, it was still addressed to "We the People".

Sources:

• HISTORY.com, (2015). Prohibition - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com. [online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015].
• Jacobs, F. (2012). 560 - A World Map of Heavy Metal Density | Big Think. [online] Big Think. Available at: http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/560-a-world-map-of-heavy-metal-density [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015].
• Wikipedia, (2015). List of countries by unemployment rate. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015].
• Wikipedia, (2015). List of countries ranked by ethnic and cultural diversity level. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_ranked_by_ethnic_and_cultural_diversity_level [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015].
• Wikipedia, (2015). Number of guns per capita by country. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_country [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015].