As of May 1, 2022, 14,190 people have died by gun violence in the U.S. this year. The number injured is 11,446. That’s according to the Gun Violence Archive. The most important related statistic is that in the U.S. we have 120.5 guns for every hundred people, the highest ratio in the world. We have more guns than people. More facts about the U.S.: there was an increase of 13.5 percent in the rate of gun deaths in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, gun violence became the leading cause of death for people under twenty. That year, shootings killed more young people than motor vehicle crashes or drug overdoses for the first time ever.
Yes, I know, we are a gun culture. Firearms are built into our traditions and way of life. My argument is that it’s long since time we changed all that. Any customs that cost 14,000 lives in four months are customs that must be banished.
The Biden administration has finally made a move. According to White House data, the number of “ghost gun” seizures has increased ten-fold since 2016. Biden is, in effect, changing the rules so that “ghost guns” will have serial numbers and can therefore be traced.
It comes as no surprise that Republicans are fighting against any limits to “gun freedom.” It’s time for Americans to express to their Congressional representatives that the unlimited gun death rates must come to an end. We should all write to our Congressional leaders demanding change.
Tom Glenn, Writer 