Gary and Dee discuss #guns. Let’s start with the 2nd Amendment, adopted to the Constitution in December, 1791. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. At the time of the amendment, guns were slower, less accurate and much larger. There was no concealed carry and there were no mass shootings.
In 2008, the US Supreme Court decided the 2nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to own a firearm. How many firearms are currently owned in the US? Estimates vary between 265 Million and 310 Million. That is nearly one firearm per person. While 41% of Americans report owning a gun, 3% own approximately half of all US guns. These people own between seven and 140 guns each. (The average is 17 per ‘super owner.’)
The number of gun deaths in America is comparable to the number of vehicle deaths per year, between 32,000 and 35,000. We try to make automobiles safer. We have added and upgraded seat belts. We have added air bags. We have back up cameras. We have anti-lock brakes. We require licensing, insurance and safety inspections. Guns, we are making deadlier.
In the Revolutionary War, a good soldier could fire a musket ball a minute. (The Minutemen of Massachusetts.) An AR-15 can fire between 180 and 600 bullets per minute depending on set-up. We have the technology to make guns safer with trigger locks and biometric controls. Why aren’t we doing it?
#2ndAmendment #MassShootings
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS