Enough is Enough

Enough Carnage

Guns are a Public Health Menace

When is enough gun-inflicted carnage sufficient for American lawmakers to ignore the bribery from the NRA and other purist 2^nd Amendment groups and enact sensible reforms to limit access to firearms whose purpose is to kill people? 

To listen to most republican leaders and even some democrats, the answer is, unfortunately, not yet. 

As of October 1^st, data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive tells us that in the past 1,735 days there have been 1,516 mass shootings in the United States. That averages one shooting that injured or killed four or more people in nine out of every ten days. At least 1,715 people were killed and over 6,000 were injured in those shootings.

Is that enough? Evidently not.

Las Vegas is but the latest in the string of American mass executions that has failed to move Congress into action. The carnage inflicted by unregulated fully automatic weapons left 58 dead, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. History. What we got from Congress were empty thoughts and prayers.

What do we know about American gun violence from a public health perspective? Very little. This is primarily because Congress, at the bidding of its death-dealing lobbyist masters, has prohibited the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from conducting research on the pubic health implications of gun violence. 

The CDC can study and make recommendations on every other public health menace, but it cannot even look at why Americans are obsessed with guns or why so many are used to maim and kill. 

Studies conducted by universities and medical researchers shed some light on the death walking our streets untouched. 

The Guardian recently published 17 charts reflecting some of that research. Here are some of the important conclusions.

1. America has six times as many firearm homicides as Canada and 16 times as many as Germany. A Harvard study indicates the increased rate is primarily due to the number of guns in circulation in the U.S., 
2. America has 4.4% of the world’s population and almost half of the civilian owned guns on the planet. They have not made us safer.
3. Under a broader definition, there is more than one mass shooting each day in America. We are told in the aftermath of each that then is not the appropriate time to talk about gun violence. Under this rationale, it is never the right time to talk about gun violence. 
4. Multiple studies show developed countries and U. S. states with more guns have more gun deaths. 
5. States with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun related deaths. Epidemiologists looked at the worldwide research and concluded that with new gun regulations comes a drop in gun violence.
6. Even though mass shooting incidents are horrific and command attention, a majority of gun deaths are suicides, not homicides. Suicide researchers have demonstrated that greater access to guns dramatically increases the risk of suicide. 
7. The states with the most guns report the most suicides. Guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily. It follows that limiting access to guns reduces the number of suicides. An Australian study demonstrated that buying back 3,500 guns per 100,000 people correlated with a 50 percent drop in firearm homicides and a 74 percent drop in gun suicides.
8. In states with more guns, more police officers are killed on duty. The American Journal of Public Health study supports this conclusion. Every 10% increase in gun ownership correlated with 10 more officers being shot on duty.
9. Mass shootings have done little to change public opinion about gun ownership. Most still support gun rights. 
10. Specific gun control measures are fairly popular. 89% support preventing the mentally ill from buying guns. Over 80% support not letting those on no fly lists buy guns. Over 70% support background checks for gun show and private gun sales. More than 50% would ban assault weapons. A similar number support a federal database tracking gun sales. 

Other public health menaces that killed or maimed have brought swift legislative responses even though opposed by powerful lobbyists.

In 1980, the MGM Grand Hotel in Law Vegas caught fire killing 85 and injuring more than 500. What followed were stricter fire codes, improved construction and building safety regulations. 

The Tylenol tampering scare in 1982 led to and immediate recall and prompt implementation of sealing procedures we now take for granted even though far fewer were killed.

Horrific roadway accidents led to seat belts, automobile safety regulations, texting while driving laws and other highway safety measures. 

When is enough carnage enough? I’ve had enough. Have you? Call your lawmakers and write them letters. End it now.

Waring R. Fincke is a retired attorney and serves as a guardian for the elderly and disabled.