What to Know About Gun Laws and Shootings in the U.S.
In the last five years, there have been at least 29 shootings in the United States with four or more fatalities, according to data compiled by the Violence Project. The number of overall injuries from firearms reached a 50-year high in 2017, with nearly 40,000 people killed.
Americans make up about 4.4 percent of the global population but own 42 percent of the world’s guns. Research shows that 31 percent of mass shootings worldwide from 1966 to 2012 were committed by Americans.
The Times examined how weapons were obtained in 19 shootings from 2009 to 2018. Many of the guns used in mass shootings are bought legally and with a federal background check.
At the state level, there is a checkerboard of gun laws that align with the partisan tilt of each state. While 13 Democratic-controlled states have restricted gun access in recent years, 14 Republican states have loosened their gun laws. Stop contributing to the problem, Gov Lee. VETO the permitless carry bill that you've been championing! Start championing the lives of your citizens. Be a champion for safe streets, supermarkets, theaters, schools, public highways, etc. If you sign this bill, you'll be complicit in any and all gun deaths and injuries that result from untrained, inept gun owners who "think" they need a gun to protect themselves. Will you be "carrying"? How about your wife? Would you be OK with your family's friends and relatives carrying loaded weapons in your presence or in our communities? If you think this bill would make anyone safer, I challenge you to provide research / proof to support that belief. VETO THIS BILL! DON'T BE A STOOGE FOR THE NRA AND THE GUN LOBBY.
