BREAD, MILK, AND… KALASHNIKOV

If you are caught with a Kinder egg in your luggage when entering the United States, you can be fined $2,500. The sale of this popular candy has been banned in America since 1997 due to the risk of choking on the plastic toy inside. Americans who want to purchase Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) at the pharmacy must show identification and proof of age to buy it, just like they would with alcohol. In some states, semi-automatic rifles such as the M50 and AK47 can be purchased from well-equipped department stores without any background checks.

In the first three weeks of 2023, there were 39 reported mass shootings in the United States. On January 21st, seven people were killed in Half Moon Bay near San Francisco, and just two days later, 12 people were killed during a Chinese New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a mass shooting is defined as a crime in which more than three people are killed or injured using firearms. This definition excludes wars, conflicts between organized criminal groups, armed robberies, or domestic violence. The perpetrators of these crimes are often disgruntled individuals who seek revenge on those closest to them due to personal failures in areas such as school, career, or love life. They also may be seeking attention and popularity. Statistics show that these “fame seekers” tend to be more violent and their crimes more deadly.

The American gun culture has a long history and problematic practices. The Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees citizens the right to bear arms for self-defense. However, some Americans treat it as a sacrosanct commandment rather than a constitutional amendment.

The Bill of Rights is a collection of ten constitutional amendments designed to protect citizens’ rights from tyranny. The amendments have been updated over time to reflect changing social trends. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, while the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms and is the subject of ongoing and often heated debates.

The interpretation of the Second Amendment varies greatly. Liberal activists who support limiting access to firearms downplay its significance, arguing that it primarily relates to the role of the National Guard as part of the armed forces reserve. Conservative opponents, on the other hand, view the right to possess firearms as the cornerstone of the American constitutional order, citing its inclusion by the “founding fathers.”

Armed Americans often overlook the fact that the Second Amendment was enacted at a time when rifles and pistols could only fire one shot and required several minutes to reload. Today, a semi-automatic rifle like the AK47, commonly known as the “Kalashnikov,” can fire 600 rounds of 7.62-millimeter caliber in just one minute.

The right to bear arms has deep historical roots in the US, having helped cowboys, farmers, and settlers to conquer the Wild West. However, in modern society, the role of the citizen, hunter, and soldier is no longer combined in one person, making the right guaranteed by the Second Amendment outdated.

Throughout history, the United States has implemented various gun bans. In addition to Native Americans, slaves, and blacks, servants, foreigners, non-Protestants, minorities, and convicts were also prohibited from owning firearms. There were also restrictions on shooting on Sundays, in the dark, or while under the influence of alcohol. Despite these strict laws, Americans now have the most permissive access to firearms in the world.

The number of mass shootings in the US has always been significantly higher than in other countries. From 1900 to 2014, 2,625 serial killings were recorded in the US, compared to 142 in England, the next highest on the list. In every decade of the 20th century, more mass shootings occurred in America than in the rest of the world combined, while in the most developed countries in Europe and Asia, this trend was reversed.

In 1996, a massacre occurred in the Australian town of Port Arthur, where 35 students from a local elementary school were killed. Two weeks later, the federal government of Australia enacted a new law banning all personal firearms, except for hunters who had to register their weapons and keep them in hunting clubs. The following year, the government launched a gun buyback program, resulting in a 74% decrease in gun-related murders in Australia over the next decade.

In the same year, Great Britain also experienced a tragedy when 16 children attending a local nursery school were killed in Dunblane, Scotland. The country promptly tightened its laws, making it illegal to own any firearms overnight, from pistols to semi-automatic rifles.

The “gun culture” in America is a unique characteristic that is difficult to change, making it unlikely that the cycle of mass shootings will end soon. Liberal analysts attribute the aggressive approach to reality in the US to fear, poverty, and racism. Fear has been a part of American society since its founding, stemming from the settlers’ fear of the native people they immediately brutalized and later the fear of slave rebellions, which they controlled through violence and weapons. It is not surprising that until 1966, blacks were prohibited from owning guns, and until 1968, Native Americans.

Today, the media successfully creates a state of fear through its coverage of murders, robberies, and family crimes. After watching the evening news, many Americans feel compelled to purchase a semi-automatic rifle or pistol, lock themselves in their homes, and protect themselves from perceived dangers. The crime rate may be declining, but the media creates the impression that an armed African or Latino American is lurking around every corner.

Given this media propaganda, it is not surprising that 75% of guns are owned by middle-class Americans, specifically white suburbanites. When black people are killed in a gun battle, it is perceived as a criminal gang shootout, but if it is a white person or group, condolences and prayers are sent from the highest levels. In both cases, unfortunately, it seems that little is being done to restrict access to firearms.

Since the massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999 in the town of Columbine, Colorado, over a hundred mass shootings have taken place in America, resulting in the deaths of over two thousand people. The most tragic of these was in Las Vegas in 2017, where 58 people were killed at a country music concert.

Right-wing advocates argue that more guns lead to less crime, but this claim is contradicted by the daily reality of mass shootings in America. Americans possess far more firearms than any other country, yet they also lead the world in the number of mass shootings. The constitutional right of Americans is to defend themselves and their families in life-threatening situations, but they do not need semi-automatic rifles for this purpose. Americans own over 400 million firearms, which equates to over 120% per capita. The Falkland Islands have the second highest rate of gun ownership, at 62.1%, followed by Yemen with 42.5%. Serbia and Montenegro share third place with 39.2%, while Russia is 68th with 12.3%, Spain is 103rd with 7.5%, and Germany, the United Kingdom, and China have the lowest rates, at 7%, 5.3%, and 3.6% respectively.

Although the US leads the list of mass shootings, the deadliest attacks have occurred on other continents. The most tragic of these was in 2015 at Garissa University in Kenya, where 148 students were killed by members of the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab. This was followed by the massacre at a Pakistani school in Peshawar in 2014, where 141 students were killed, and in 2011, when 77 attendees at a youth camp in Norway were killed by Anders Breivik.

Opponents of firearms restrictions in America claim that guns and pistols are not to blame for mass shootings, but rather the people who use them. The absurdity of this argument is demonstrated by the accident that occurred in Arizona in 2014, when a nine-year-old girl accidentally killed her instructor at a shooting range. The girl, who had previously fired a revolver, wanted to try an automatic Uzi pistol, which jerked to the side and killed the instructor.

In the age of advanced technology and artificial intelligence, people still have a fascination with Colt guns and rifles. How can the Wild West be tamed in America and the rest of the world?

Is the problem rooted in the population’s mental health?

According to the National Institute of Psychophysiological and Mental Disorders in Baltimore, less than 40% of mass murderers showed symptoms of mental illness. Can we blame mass shootings on broken families and childhood traumas? One-third of mass murderers had difficult childhoods, and this number is even higher among “school shooters,” at 68%. Mental illness and family problems are not unique to America. Northern European countries have higher rates of divorce and mental disorders among young people, but unlike the US, mass shootings are rare.

Psychologists point to America’s culture of violence and the popularity of violent video games, but a fascination with weapons and aggression is not unique to America. Throughout history, Germans and Japanese have also demonstrated an interest in these areas, but strict firearms laws have prevented the mass arming of their populations. Violence-themed video games are a popular pastime among young people worldwide, but countries like Canada, where one in six people owns a Sony PlayStation, have not seen a corresponding increase in firearms ownership.

Violence and aggression have long been a part of the American reality. In almost every Hollywood movie, guns and pistols are depicted as killing at full speed. In contrast, in British-made series, murder is usually committed using a knife, blunt object, or, as in the case of Agatha Christie’s novels, poison. The choice of weapon often makes the plot more interesting, the storyline more original, and the number of casualties much smaller.

Sports also reflect this trend. While Italians, Spaniards, and Englishmen chase a round soccer ball, Americans use an oval football to wage war and conquer territory. Baseball, the second most popular sport in the US, also involves the use of bats or clubs.

John Lennon left England and tried to enlighten Americans with his pacifist ideas and peace activism. Unfortunately, he was killed by a mentally ill individual who owned a firearm without a license. Ten years later, another Beatle was almost killed in London. The assailant broke into George Harrison’s house and attempted to kill him with a knife, but the musician’s wife was able to neutralize the attacker using a table lamp. While it is true that murders are committed by evil people, weapons play a significant role in their ability to carry out their crimes. To prevent mass shootings, it is necessary to implement strict firearms control laws. When firearms are taken away, a brave individual with a lamp in hand is often enough to bring the perpetrators to justice.