What a dumb article Roger, especially for a professor who showed that climate change didn’t cause more damaging storms. The US is a rich country, many gun owners own multiple weapons. In fact, as a percentage of population, gun ownership is down. Also laughable…your Ukrainian flag on your Twitter profile. Not because you support Ukraine…but because they need more guns!
"The ubiquity of guns in the United States represent a failure of American society and indicative of deep policy failure. Much harm has resulted."
It's exactly the opposite. I say this as a Greek citizen living in Greece. The 2nd Amendment is the cornerstone of your society. Without that any other amendment could have withered and violated. It is BECAUSE you have a lot of guns that kept you relatively free albeit with an alarming bureaucracy ramping up. Every rose (must) have its thorn and even the word "Democracy" is hinting that the "people hold" (power, physical and institutional). Only the citizens of Athens held weapons in ancient times and that was something that safeguarded their sovereignty over many attempts of power usurpation. Sorry but you are wrong in this.
90% of white men shot and killed, shot themselves. 80% of black men shot and killed were shot by someone else. If you are white and own a gun, the most likely person you will shoot is yourself.
Possibly, being Belgian, living off-grid in a very remote area in Portugal, I can not understand the American Concept Of Freedom, but, in most parts of Europe, civilians don't have guns. There is no fear, crime rates are low. We feel free and protected by a civilized society. The need for a gun might be in the head and not proportional to reality. Having a gun has absolutely nothing to do with freedom. It rather reflects the Dependence Of The Fearful Man.
Well, your misconception is coupled with a gap in your knowledge of history of the world. When guns were taken by those in power, oppression followed. Myanmar is the modern example where people fight dictators with bows and arrows. In the not so distant past, the European Continent became so oppressive in the hands of "royalty" and feudal lords that America was born from the people that wanted to escape that oppression. It was these people that formed the best Constitution the world has ever seen in which the 2nd Amendment is a cornerstone to safeguard the sovereignty of the individual over oppressive rulers.
P.S. If you think that tanks can subdue an armed citizenry, think again. They can't!
The more guns the better. Russia will think twice about trying to invade. Also, what's a "gun?" Is it as good as a Javelin missile? We might need more of them, too. The US is an outlier in many other ways - from what I hear it's a place that people want to come.
Love Roger's climate and environmental work but I have to disagree with him on this topic. The bar graph tells it all - yes, US gun ownership far outnumbers that of other countries, but we are by far the freest nation on earth. I believe there is a direct correlation.
This is an entirely non-scientific argument. The author gives no evidence for his statement other than comparing us to other countries. The number of guns in the country has no relation to anything important. In fact, the number of guns in Republican dominated districts has an inverse relationship to rising crime rates, as opposed to Democrat controlled districts. So what is his point? I have enormous respect for Dr Pielke because of his published work on climate change and on sports. But his well-written book on the place of science in the climate change debate should apply to this issue also. Yet he makes no connection other than the verbal equivalent of pearl clutching. He can do better. I hope he does.
The number of guns makes the US "an outlier". But we also have a Constitution that is more relevant to our polity, our politics and our daily political discourse than just about every other country. That also makes us "an outlier".
Why is the number of guns in any way a "failure" of our society or of our policies? He seems to think this is self-evident. But it is not; not to a country that has produced generations of citizens who have a profoundly deep understanding of what it means to have inalienable rights that were NOT given to us by our government but that belong to us by our very nature as human beings, and therefore cannot be taken from us by our government.
After spending 45 years in Canada, I can testify that Americans have a very much stronger sense of our inherent rights than any other people in the world.
Despite the misleading title vs the x-axis values (the chart shows guns per 100 people), the number of guns has increased significantly.
However, the numbers here do not show the concentration of gun ownership in the population. Studies in the US indicate athletes 40% of households and app. 22% of individuals own guns. And that the average guns owner owns 5 guns, up from 4 guns per gun owner 2 decades ago.
I read a book where the author proposed that one way to deal with the worlds worst conflict zones would be to distribute cheap submachine guns to all their citizens. When you think about how people - particularly women - are victimized by evil gunmen in the Congo, in South Yemen, in the Horn of Africa - it makes some sense. You would be much less likely to literally rape and pillage if you were likely to run into women defending their homes with machine pistols.
One unpublished CDC defensive gun use study implies that defensive gun use prevented around 2.5 million crimes. Most did not result in anyone being shot and most went unreported.
According to the study, guns were successfully used defensively 3.6 times as often as they were used offensively by criminals.
Unpublished CDC Study Confirms More than 2 Million Defensive Handgun Uses Annually (lawenforcementtoday.com)
Here is more:
Why is the CDC Hiding Its Defensive Gun Use Statistics? - Capital Research Center
From the National Academies of Sciences (Medicine):
Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence |The National Academies Press
“Defensive use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence, although the exact number remains disputed (Cook and Ludwig, 1996; Kleck, 2001a). Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million (Kleck, 2001a), in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008 (BJS, 2010).”
Some states with strictest gun laws also have most dangerous cities | WJLA
Some fools say that is because neighboring states or cities have less restrictive gun laws, which simply allows their preconceived ideas to succeed in defiance of the facts. Law-abiding citizens will not go to a neighboring state to buy weapons, but criminals will.
Australia imposed strict gun laws in 1996, only to have homicides increase for four of the next six years.
I think you’ve been had, you are only looking at one aspect of gun use. Further, outlawing guns just makes things worse, the best examples are New York, Chicago and Baltimore.
It isn’t a policy failure - it is a constitutional right. There is nothing people like you can do about it - which is they still have that right. It is one of the reasons people in the US are less governable - and more free - which is a good thing. They will be the last country on earth to submit to tyranny. During the height of the BLM protests the anarchy was generally restricted to city cores because when the antifa crowd tried to intimidate people in the suburbs they were met with very calm people carrying rifles. The videos of this were great to watch. They didn’t burn anything down there. Covid showed us all that our freedoms are precious and authorities are quick to ignore the constitution and deny those freedoms. Try imposing a government coup in Texas or any other red state. I wish my country had a second amendment - it would make us all safer.
Failure of American Society? Probably not unless you include politics. If you rule out those responsible gun enthusiasts, those who enjoy sport hunting and competition, then what you have left fits into three categories. First, there are citizens seeking to defend themselves against the criminal element, then citizens wary of an authoritarian government, and finally, the criminals, both professional and insane. Many, if not most rational people, believe a person has a right to defend self and family. There have been more criminals being released and an increase in homeless, mentally ill or drug addicted people. This has happened when law enforcement has been slandered and “defunded.” That is why there has been an increase in the purchase of personal weapons. Unfortunately, the increased number of arms increases their availability to the criminal element. The solution is fewer criminals and mentally ill. Not gonna happen.
So what? The United States is the richest country in the world and one of the most populous. Its citizens own more automobiles, air conditioners, and television sets than the citizens of any other country.
I like backpacking and I own 6 tents - 4 backpacks - 4 backpacking stoves - and a boatload of other gear. Is this a bit too much? Maybe. But it is a free country and I like backpacking gear.
U.S. Department of Justice, estimates 6.9 million violent crimes were committed in the United States during 2018. These include simple/aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders.
Of these, about 600,000 or 9% were committed by offenders visibly armed with a gun.
What a dumb article Roger, especially for a professor who showed that climate change didn’t cause more damaging storms. The US is a rich country, many gun owners own multiple weapons. In fact, as a percentage of population, gun ownership is down. Also laughable…your Ukrainian flag on your Twitter profile. Not because you support Ukraine…but because they need more guns!
"The ubiquity of guns in the United States represent a failure of American society and indicative of deep policy failure. Much harm has resulted."
It's exactly the opposite. I say this as a Greek citizen living in Greece. The 2nd Amendment is the cornerstone of your society. Without that any other amendment could have withered and violated. It is BECAUSE you have a lot of guns that kept you relatively free albeit with an alarming bureaucracy ramping up. Every rose (must) have its thorn and even the word "Democracy" is hinting that the "people hold" (power, physical and institutional). Only the citizens of Athens held weapons in ancient times and that was something that safeguarded their sovereignty over many attempts of power usurpation. Sorry but you are wrong in this.
90% of white men shot and killed, shot themselves. 80% of black men shot and killed were shot by someone else. If you are white and own a gun, the most likely person you will shoot is yourself.
Possibly, being Belgian, living off-grid in a very remote area in Portugal, I can not understand the American Concept Of Freedom, but, in most parts of Europe, civilians don't have guns. There is no fear, crime rates are low. We feel free and protected by a civilized society. The need for a gun might be in the head and not proportional to reality. Having a gun has absolutely nothing to do with freedom. It rather reflects the Dependence Of The Fearful Man.
Well, your misconception is coupled with a gap in your knowledge of history of the world. When guns were taken by those in power, oppression followed. Myanmar is the modern example where people fight dictators with bows and arrows. In the not so distant past, the European Continent became so oppressive in the hands of "royalty" and feudal lords that America was born from the people that wanted to escape that oppression. It was these people that formed the best Constitution the world has ever seen in which the 2nd Amendment is a cornerstone to safeguard the sovereignty of the individual over oppressive rulers.
P.S. If you think that tanks can subdue an armed citizenry, think again. They can't!
The more guns the better. Russia will think twice about trying to invade. Also, what's a "gun?" Is it as good as a Javelin missile? We might need more of them, too. The US is an outlier in many other ways - from what I hear it's a place that people want to come.
Love Roger's climate and environmental work but I have to disagree with him on this topic. The bar graph tells it all - yes, US gun ownership far outnumbers that of other countries, but we are by far the freest nation on earth. I believe there is a direct correlation.
And Yemen is the 2nd freest nation on earth.
Well, nice try! How about Switzerland?
Switzerland indeed. The splendid isolation within Europe.
This is an entirely non-scientific argument. The author gives no evidence for his statement other than comparing us to other countries. The number of guns in the country has no relation to anything important. In fact, the number of guns in Republican dominated districts has an inverse relationship to rising crime rates, as opposed to Democrat controlled districts. So what is his point? I have enormous respect for Dr Pielke because of his published work on climate change and on sports. But his well-written book on the place of science in the climate change debate should apply to this issue also. Yet he makes no connection other than the verbal equivalent of pearl clutching. He can do better. I hope he does.
The number of guns makes the US "an outlier". But we also have a Constitution that is more relevant to our polity, our politics and our daily political discourse than just about every other country. That also makes us "an outlier".
Why is the number of guns in any way a "failure" of our society or of our policies? He seems to think this is self-evident. But it is not; not to a country that has produced generations of citizens who have a profoundly deep understanding of what it means to have inalienable rights that were NOT given to us by our government but that belong to us by our very nature as human beings, and therefore cannot be taken from us by our government.
After spending 45 years in Canada, I can testify that Americans have a very much stronger sense of our inherent rights than any other people in the world.
Despite the misleading title vs the x-axis values (the chart shows guns per 100 people), the number of guns has increased significantly.
However, the numbers here do not show the concentration of gun ownership in the population. Studies in the US indicate athletes 40% of households and app. 22% of individuals own guns. And that the average guns owner owns 5 guns, up from 4 guns per gun owner 2 decades ago.
Then, why are the locales in the US with the least gun restrictions the safest?
Thank you.
. . .
Imagine: History without an Iron Curtain, without National Socialists!
. . Well-trained/-armed German Jews and Gypsies, 1930s
. . Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Austria, Macedonia (Yugoslavia), Kosovo: 1945! We gave Soviet Socialists all of Central Europe.
. . In either case, armed citizens' legacies - counterfactual - thought, spirit, exploration in every field.
God bless the guarantors of Freedom.
. . also, please:
compare donations $, blood, and labor/time, e.e.g., by household, of all nations in the above graph
My imprecise recall says our Republic, for generations, has lain outside.
Outliers, thank you!
I read a book where the author proposed that one way to deal with the worlds worst conflict zones would be to distribute cheap submachine guns to all their citizens. When you think about how people - particularly women - are victimized by evil gunmen in the Congo, in South Yemen, in the Horn of Africa - it makes some sense. You would be much less likely to literally rape and pillage if you were likely to run into women defending their homes with machine pistols.
Every rose has its thorns.
Defensive Gun Use
One unpublished CDC defensive gun use study implies that defensive gun use prevented around 2.5 million crimes. Most did not result in anyone being shot and most went unreported.
According to the study, guns were successfully used defensively 3.6 times as often as they were used offensively by criminals.
Unpublished CDC Study Confirms More than 2 Million Defensive Handgun Uses Annually (lawenforcementtoday.com)
Here is more:
Why is the CDC Hiding Its Defensive Gun Use Statistics? - Capital Research Center
From the National Academies of Sciences (Medicine):
Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence |The National Academies Press
“Defensive use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence, although the exact number remains disputed (Cook and Ludwig, 1996; Kleck, 2001a). Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million (Kleck, 2001a), in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008 (BJS, 2010).”
Some states with strictest gun laws also have most dangerous cities | WJLA
Some fools say that is because neighboring states or cities have less restrictive gun laws, which simply allows their preconceived ideas to succeed in defiance of the facts. Law-abiding citizens will not go to a neighboring state to buy weapons, but criminals will.
Australia imposed strict gun laws in 1996, only to have homicides increase for four of the next six years.
I think you’ve been had, you are only looking at one aspect of gun use. Further, outlawing guns just makes things worse, the best examples are New York, Chicago and Baltimore.
It isn’t a policy failure - it is a constitutional right. There is nothing people like you can do about it - which is they still have that right. It is one of the reasons people in the US are less governable - and more free - which is a good thing. They will be the last country on earth to submit to tyranny. During the height of the BLM protests the anarchy was generally restricted to city cores because when the antifa crowd tried to intimidate people in the suburbs they were met with very calm people carrying rifles. The videos of this were great to watch. They didn’t burn anything down there. Covid showed us all that our freedoms are precious and authorities are quick to ignore the constitution and deny those freedoms. Try imposing a government coup in Texas or any other red state. I wish my country had a second amendment - it would make us all safer.
Failure of American Society? Probably not unless you include politics. If you rule out those responsible gun enthusiasts, those who enjoy sport hunting and competition, then what you have left fits into three categories. First, there are citizens seeking to defend themselves against the criminal element, then citizens wary of an authoritarian government, and finally, the criminals, both professional and insane. Many, if not most rational people, believe a person has a right to defend self and family. There have been more criminals being released and an increase in homeless, mentally ill or drug addicted people. This has happened when law enforcement has been slandered and “defunded.” That is why there has been an increase in the purchase of personal weapons. Unfortunately, the increased number of arms increases their availability to the criminal element. The solution is fewer criminals and mentally ill. Not gonna happen.
Thank you.
So what? The United States is the richest country in the world and one of the most populous. Its citizens own more automobiles, air conditioners, and television sets than the citizens of any other country.
I like backpacking and I own 6 tents - 4 backpacks - 4 backpacking stoves - and a boatload of other gear. Is this a bit too much? Maybe. But it is a free country and I like backpacking gear.
The graph title is off. It should be guns per 100 persons, not guns per person. Disingenuous way to present data as well.
*** Thank you for correcting ***
U.S. Department of Justice, estimates 6.9 million violent crimes were committed in the United States during 2018. These include simple/aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders.
Of these, about 600,000 or 9% were committed by offenders visibly armed with a gun.