Gun Culture Research Paper

The phrase “gun culture” in the United States of America refers to and besets the beliefs and perspectives about firearms and their usage by civilians. Guns hold a profound place in the US with them even having a dedicated Constitutional Amendment. The Second Amendment, which pertains to firearms, states that, “...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Guns have been a part of American society since colonial times to serve as means of defense against opponents such as warring Indians or the European powers. Gun became a product of consumerism at the time of the Wild West during which time guns were a staple to stay alive and were also prominently displayed. Today, guns still serve a defensive purpose as well
“...this one effect of America's unusually liberal gun laws, which contribute to its sky-high private ownership rate: there are a lot of guns in America. There are 270 million guns owned by American citizens,” (Fisher). This data reveals the extent of gun ownership in America, which has a population of 319 million. This means that America has a gun to population ratio of 9 to 10, nearly double that of Yemen, a war-torn nation. “...my colleagues and I identified only 15 constitutions (in nine countries) that had ever included an explicit right to bear arms,” (McCormick). The aforesaid quote directly correlates guns and them representing the United States. Since the advent of guns only 9 countries have directly stated a right to firearms. Currently, only three countries in the world maintain Constitutional Amendments pertaining to the right of bearing arms: Guatemala, Mexico, and, of course, the United States. Also, the Guatemalan and Mexican amendments in regard to firearms were modeled after the US 2nd Amendment. This places the US in a very unique position as being the superpower nation having gun rights constitutionally guaranteed and would lead foreign nations and foreigners to associate the US with guns. Guns in America stand out amongst the international community and pale in comparison with those
“America's gun-related murder rate is the highest in the developed world, excluding Mexico, where the ongoing drug war pushes the murder stats way up. The question of what causes the U.S. firearm-related homicide rate is a complicated one involving many variables,” (Fisher). As consumerism pushes citizens to purchase guns, criminals also pursued purchasing guns as they would assist in expediting crime. The US has more firearms than any other country but also more gun related murders, even when compared to countries with more lax gun control laws. “But there have been no shortage of tragedies, no shortage of potential turning points at which, ultimately, no turn was made. There have been 142 school shootings in the United States since Sandy Hook,” (Akkad). Criminals are increasingly using guns to target schools and other high profile facilities. Guns in many states are fairly easy to obtain even in those that require background checks. Gun shows/auctions are not heavily regulated and many guns used in national tragedies are traced back to these shows. With guns came an increase in violence because of their simplicity of use and easiness of