Guns and Society
Peter Brandt
2022
In my research about guns, I would state my thesis on guns as follows: “Guns have been used by humans against one another as one of the leading causes of human death in our world and in our country since their invention – therefore, guns have not helped humans thrive.”
Here are some statistics I’ve compiled supporting my thesis. But, happy to entertain others if from valid sources.
Here are some the statistics/comments:
History of Guns:
Guns were invented for war – to kill people in war.
The first firearm was the fire lance, which appeared in China between the 10–12th centuries. It was depicted in a silk painting dated to the mid-10th but textual evidence of its use does not appear until 1132, describing the siege of De’an (a war). It consisted of a bamboo tube of gunpowder tied to a spear or other polearm.
The first recorded use of gunpowder weapons in Europe was in 1331 when two mounted German knights attacked Cividale del Friuli with gunpowder weapons of some sort. By 1338 hand cannons were in widespread use in France. English Privy Wardrobe accounts list “ribaldis”, a type of cannon, in the 1340s, and siege guns were used by the English at Calais in 1346. Early guns and the men who used them were often associated with the devil and the gunner’s craft was considered a black art, a point reinforced by the smell of sulfur on battlefields created from the firing of guns along with the muzzle blast and accompanying flash.
Wars:
- The deadliest war in human history was World War II. 85 Million people were killed over 5 years. It was started by Germany. Where prior to the start of the war, the Nazi’s using terror, much inflicted with guns, took over the country and turned it into one of the most evil, dictatorial regimes in history.
- The deadliest war in US history was the Civil War – 620,000 soldiers died, 215,000 from combat over 5 years – the rest were from starvation, disease and accidents.
- Not all of these deaths can be attributed to the use of guns, but many can.
Gun Deaths Today
The ratio of deaths by firearm in illegal (homicides) and self-harm (suicide, accidents) incidents is 94% in the US.
The ratio of “legal” gun deaths in the US (Law enforcement, protection) is small (6% US) both world-wide and in the US. And, for those who say they need guns for protection, this is just 4% of the gun deaths. There is significant disagreement on the number of Defensive Gun Use (DGU) incidents in the US – with numbers ranging from 55,000/year to 47.M/year.
- The US has the highest number of guns per capita in the world – 120/100 people – more guns than people.
- The US is 1st in number of gun deaths per capita in the “developed” world at 12.2/100,000/year. 10th highest of all countries in the world.
- The countries who have just more and just less gun deaths per capita are Columbia 20.4/ and Uruguay 11.7/
- The next highest gun deaths of a “developed” country is Mexico at 11.6/
Guns for Hunting
Guns are also used for hunting – hunting is now almost always considered a “sport” in the US. Few people subsist by hunting – it is only legal in Alaska in the US. There are about 15M hunters in the US. Hunting is generally regulated on a state-by-state basis in the United States. Nevertheless, all hunters of protected species in the country are required to hold a hunting license. In addition, certain guns are best for hunting – these include rifles, shotguns and specific handguns. Handguns used for hunting usually have longer barrels, better sights (often mounting telescopic sights or red dot sights), and, depending on the game, will fire a much more powerful cartridge.
Guns for “Protection”
Guns are used for legal protection – as stated earlier – include protective shootings – also called Defensive Gun Use (DGU). DGU shootings resulted in almost 1,600 deaths in 2019 and again there is significant disagreement on the number of DGU incidents in the US per year – with numbers ranging from 1,000/year to 47.M/year. The most accurate could be the Gun Violence Archive – where a team of people compile incidents by utilizing automated queries, manual research through over 7,500 sources from local and state police, media, data aggregates, government and other sources daily. Their tally of DGU incidents for 2021 was 1,280.
There are specific guns designed for protecting. The difference between guns designed for hunting and those for protection are that guns designed for protection are specifically designed to hurt or kill people versus game.
Rifles for protection – often included in this category are “assault style” weapons like the AR15 and the AK47. These guns now amount to military weapons adapted to be sold to civilians. There are few documented cases of these weapons being used for protection, yet many cases where these weapons have been used in mass-shootings (defined as murder by gun of more than 4 people in a single incident.) — including Aurora, Colorado; Newtown, Connecticut; San Bernardino, California; Sutherland Springs, Texas; Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida, in which a total of 154 people were killed. Thanks to an ardent following, and shrewd marketing, the AR-15 remains a jewel of the gun industry, the country’s most popular rifle, irreversibly lodged into American culture. Today, one of out of every five firearms purchased in the US is an AR-style rifle, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation estimate. Americans now own an estimated 20 million AR-15 style weapons, gun groups say.
Handguns for protection – handguns were conceived as a compact weapon for self-defense. Even though today there are handguns made specifically for target competition or hunting, most are still designed with defense in mind. Thus, handguns are compact for concealability and ease of carrying. This becomes a part of the legal definition of a handgun, as they are considered “concealable” and therefore deemed dangerous and are controlled by law in most states. Of course, a handgun should be capable of firing a projectile accurately at a target. The energy delivered must be sufficient to quell any attack yet be light enough so that the recoil generated does not wrest the gun from the shooter’s hand; this is difficult in practice and there is no perfect choice, so many types of handguns are manufactured for different situations. Finally, since no one can be guaranteed a perfect shot or a single attacker, a handgun must fire multiple shots. The two most common defensive handguns are the double action revolver and the semiautomatic pistol.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm
https://www.healthdata.org/news-release/six-countries-americas-account-half-all-firearm-deaths
https://www.safewise.com/resources/guns-at-home/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/america-s-rifle-why-so-many-people-love-ar-15-n831171
https://www.statista.com/statistics/253615/number-of-hunting-licenses-and-permits-in-the-us/
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