For most of my life I have heard about the “special relationship” between the UK and the US. I am very pro American, for many reasons. I believe Americans have contributed massively to the rest of the world in so many ways. In many ways the UK is carbon copy of America, albeit very much smaller with only a sixth of the population. I have good friends in America, so please don’t label me anti American.
I am sure we have just as many mentally ill people per 100k of the population as the US, maybe more, but our mentally ill, very rarely have access to guns. There have been four mass shootings in the UK in the last 37 years. As far as I know, and I may be wrong, these are the only mass shootings in our history. From Wiki
The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, England, on 19 August 1987. The gunman, 27-year-old Michael Robert Ryan (b. 18 May 1960), armed with two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others
The Dunblane school massacre occurred at Dunblane Primary School on 13 March 1996. The gunman, 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton (b. 10 May 1952), entered the school armed with four handguns, shooting and killing sixteen children and one adult before committing suicide.
The Monkseaton shootings occurred on 30 April 1989 in Monkseaton, North Tyneside when Robert Sartin killed one man and left fourteen other people injured during a twenty-minute shooting spree. It remains, along with the 1987 Hungerford massacre, 1996 Dunblane massacre and the 2010 Cumbria shootings, one of the worst criminal atrocities involving firearms in British history.
The Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing himself.
According to this article here, there has been twenty-three mass shootings in the US in the year since the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, leaving more than 100 dead across 17 states. This latest mass shooting was committed by a British born man. The common threads through all of this is mental illness and of course guns.
The father of one of the victims Mr Martinez's grief-stricken father broke down in tears after railing at America's lax gun laws as he described how his family was "lost and broken".
"Chris died because of craven irresponsible politicians and the National Rifle Association," said Richard Martinez. "They talk about gun rights. What about Chris' right to live? When will this insanity stop?" Taken from here.
Until America changes its gun laws and only the Police and armed forces have access to guns, mass shootings in America will be a regular occurrence.
Eddie
7 comments:
Any shooting is abhorent. It is not countries who shoot but the individual holding the firearm. Wars do not necessarily make it right to shoot but make it easier to understand.
For any individual to hold a firearm the laws that govern must make it harder for that individual to own it, more insight into an individuals mental state must be first on the list.
Any shooting leaves the family and friends grieving.
On another topic, any road traffic accident that kills also leaves family and friends grieving. Drink, drugs can play there part in this.
We must all take responsibilty for our action on others.
Martin
"When will this insanity stop?"
This question is asked each time there is a shooting. Still no satisfactory answer.
Roy
Guns are the symptoms. Stopping the symptoms will not cure underlying pathology.
Americans have very special relationship with guns, and I doubt something could be done about it. Gun culture is what I don't like about the life in US.
May be the contributing factor - there are still a lot of wilderness areas in US. Why people in Alaska are safer with guns is easy to understand.
Obama did try after the last killings but the lobby groups and NRA are too strong.
What Galina says is correct Americans do have a special relationship with guns. I don't think this right, I don't think it will change. There does need to be closer and tighter gun control, but I have reservations it will ever come.
Paul B
High folks
I expected to get my arse kicked, but maybe not. I, like many in the UK could get a license for a shot gun. The main criteria is no criminal record and no history of mental illness.
I have no use for a gun, hence I do not own one. I do not believe for one minute it would make me feel more secure or safe.
I believe the chances of me needing a gun for protection is infinitesimal, and it is more likely it would hinder my safety than help me.
Thanks for the comments.
Eddie
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