Unique to the USA
Mass shootings have many different definitions. The FBI defines a mass killing as one where four or more people are killed. The Congressional Research Service uses the same definition. The definition of a mass shooting used by the Gun Violence Archive is when four or more people, excluding the shooter are shot at roughly the same time. That is the definition used in this tweet.
Mass shootings are not unique to the U.S., but we are the world leader in the frequency of them, by any definition. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson's tweet about data, others have criticized that tweet by pointing out that the U.S. has a lower murder rate than a number of other nations. But mass shootings are not the same as murder rates.
Donald Trump and other Republicans try to put the blame for mass shootings on mental health issues and violent video games. The problem with that is that neither violent video games or mental health issues are at all unique to the USA by any measure.
There is one thing in the discussion of mass shootings that is unique to the U.S. We are the only nation on this planet that has more than 1 firearm for every member of the civilian population.. Only the Falkland Islands (population estimated at 3,000) and Yemen have more than 1 firearm for every 2 members of the civilian population. Of the 230 nations for which data is available, only 25 nations have more than 1 firearm for every 5 members of the civilian population.
The timespan of the 25 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history dates from 1949 to the present. 8 of them, which is nearly 1/3rd, have taken place since Mr. Trump was inaugurated.
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Now I cannot say with certainty the next item I'm going to mention is truly unique to the U.S. but I suspect it is nowhere near as rampant anywhere else in this world. No other nation has a leader who has taken out over 2,000 campaign ads since this past March, talking about how the nation is being invaded by immigrants.
No other nation has a leader who attacks those who disagree with him in the way Mr. Trump does. He describes his words as unifying, but they are some of the most divisive, negative rhetoric to come from the Oval Office since our nation was founded.
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If mental health is such an important part of the cause of mass shootings, as Mr. Trump claims, why did he end an Obama-era regulation that made it more difficult for those with mental illnesses to get guns? Why doesn't he reinstate that regulation?
The bottom line is that Mr. Trump is definitely part of the problem and definitely part of the solution.
2019 mass shootings:— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) August 3, 2019
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Mass shootings are not unique to the U.S., but we are the world leader in the frequency of them, by any definition. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson's tweet about data, others have criticized that tweet by pointing out that the U.S. has a lower murder rate than a number of other nations. But mass shootings are not the same as murder rates.
Donald Trump and other Republicans try to put the blame for mass shootings on mental health issues and violent video games. The problem with that is that neither violent video games or mental health issues are at all unique to the USA by any measure.
There is one thing in the discussion of mass shootings that is unique to the U.S. We are the only nation on this planet that has more than 1 firearm for every member of the civilian population.. Only the Falkland Islands (population estimated at 3,000) and Yemen have more than 1 firearm for every 2 members of the civilian population. Of the 230 nations for which data is available, only 25 nations have more than 1 firearm for every 5 members of the civilian population.
The timespan of the 25 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history dates from 1949 to the present. 8 of them, which is nearly 1/3rd, have taken place since Mr. Trump was inaugurated.
* * *
Now I cannot say with certainty the next item I'm going to mention is truly unique to the U.S. but I suspect it is nowhere near as rampant anywhere else in this world. No other nation has a leader who has taken out over 2,000 campaign ads since this past March, talking about how the nation is being invaded by immigrants.
No other nation has a leader who attacks those who disagree with him in the way Mr. Trump does. He describes his words as unifying, but they are some of the most divisive, negative rhetoric to come from the Oval Office since our nation was founded.
* * *
If mental health is such an important part of the cause of mass shootings, as Mr. Trump claims, why did he end an Obama-era regulation that made it more difficult for those with mental illnesses to get guns? Why doesn't he reinstate that regulation?
The bottom line is that Mr. Trump is definitely part of the problem and definitely part of the solution.
posted by me at 6:07 PM
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