As a former police officer and more recently a retired criminal justice professor, I have long suspected there must be some relationship between the massive numbers of firearms in private hands and gun violence in this country.
A 2013 estimate of gun ownership in the U.S. put the number of firearms in civilian hands at 357 million. We now have more guns than people. Until recently, my personal belief was merely supposition.
Recent research conducted by University of Alabama criminologists changed that with the publication of a study that examined mass public shootings in 171 countries over a 46-year period, from 1966 through 2012.
Initially, the researchers found little in common among the nations being studied. For example, the prevalence of mental illness varied widely among countries, as did homicide and suicide rates. However, when the researchers introduced firearms ownership rates into the study, things changed, specifically, gun ownership rates per capita.
The researchers discovered a strong correlation in the U.S. between the number of public mass shootings and the number of firearms in civilian hands. We have almost double the firearms ownership rate of any other country in the study — more than 200 million more guns than the next highest country. While much larger than the U.S., nations like China and India suffer far fewer massive shootings.
Recent mass shootings in the U.S have become more frequent and far deadlier. Three of the worst mass shootings in modern U.S. history have happened in the past year and a half. In 2016 we saw a horrific mass shooting in a nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were killed. In 2017, the concert venue in Las Vegas claimed 58 lives. More recently, the Sutherland Springs church shooting in Texas resulted in 26 dead.
The reasons for this trend are many and varied. The weapons are more powerful and shooters have been using high-capacity magazines that don’t require frequent reloading to inflict maximum harm. The congressional decision in 2004 to lift the ban on the sale of assault rifles with larger magazine capacity undoubtedly has contributed to the problem. When shooters use semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, more people are hurt and more die. Some experts warn that assailants appear to be planning attacks more carefully and are choosing sites where there are many people in one place.
Until we find a way to come to grips with the gun culture that is so ingrained in American culture, mass shootings will certainly continue and worsen. And attempts to shift the conversation to issues like mental illness will not reduce the number or severity of mass shootings. Talking about mental illness has become a way for the forces opposing meaningful gun control measures to avoid talking about the real issue — the number and type of firearms in civilian hands.
Going forward, the discussion needs to focus on proposals to reduce the number of guns in private hands while also protecting our Second Amendment rights. It can be done.
Michael Norman, Cottonwood Heights, is a fiction writer who has had five murder mysteries published, including his latest book, “Slow Burn.”