Dear Mr. NRA

I live in the UK, and we find your lack of gun control absolutely bizarre. "Total gun deaths on average in recent years - 35,000 per year". I think that says it all. I'm glad I live where I do

No.

It is one of the reasons I will never visit the US.

You don't have a gun unless you intend to use it.

The thing that is far more dangerous than guns is the mentality of the gun lobby and the power of big business in government. In 1996, the gun lobbyists and republicans passed legislation preventing the CDC from conducting research on gun violence. You cannot have any "proof" that gun violence is not a problem until that law is repealed and we investigate gun violence outright. If only the tobacco and asbestos people had thought to do that, huh?

[washingtonpost.com]

The answer is HELL NO! Cultures which limit access to guns have only a small fraction of the murders and suicides that we do. THAT is the important fact. Specifically, when Australia implemented strict gun control the results were astounding

If it were up to me, I would ban all pistols, assault weapons, and both semi-automatic and automatic weapons. I own a rifle and a shotgun, and that is all I will ever need, as I do not intend to kill anyone.

Better question is why is sensible gun reform a no go to the right wing. Everything else in the country is regulated for safety, but guns don't kill, people do.

I am not a gun owner. In fact, I haven't fired a weapon since I left the marines. With that preface, I am all for checks and waiting periods. People that are going to commit crime, are going to commit the crime of acquiring a gun if we make it illegal. Now. I believe these statistics are accurate...I have looked them up a few times when doing gun debates. A much more interesting thing to notice is when these things take place. I think we have heightened stress within our nation and the world at the moment. Probably 25 hours of news a day adds to the stress.

“If you’re not a criminal, youre just as likely to die in a fire, 14 times from a fall” (obviously)

The question isn’t what is the chance you will die, by accident with a gun, it’s WHY IS there so much crime and accidents involving guns? (Homicides, suicides, mass murders, accidents )

And I want to know where you got the statistics that 64% of the 13,000 is JUSTIFIED

More importantly, what is your source for all these statistics?

Scholars don’t argue that mass shooting make up most of the gun deaths, although the sheer amount of mass shootings and frequency in which they occur are indeed unique to the United States. We (smart people) know semi automatic weapons aren’t the weapon that contribute to the most deaths. It’s the handgun. We know they make up the most of the deaths. It’s the fact that people are deligitimizimg the rest of the deaths in those crime situations and suicides and police situations. We have a gun culture that is unique to anywhere in the world and our lack of common sense regulations(back ground checks, closing loopholes, restrictions on magazines) is contributing to an unnecessary amount of preventable deaths. True- criminals will get guns anyway they can. But if there is a way to hinder their ability to access them at least a LITTLE bit- that’s a win.. responsible gun owner will still be able to get what ever they need to protect themselves or hunt or whatever. So what is the point of hyper-analyzing these gun statistics- just to rationalize that, oh gun deaths aren’t a big deal compared to medical malpractice or accidents or lung cancer? Everything is a big deal and everything needs to always be looked upon for ways in to improve society. Look to other countries for advice- japan on their policing methods- Portugal on their drug policies.. Canada on their healthcare.. improving society in these little intrigal ways builds the frame-work for people feeling happier, more free and in less fear

The question isn't whether guns get more attention than they deserve, but rather why all of those other things on the list aren't getting the attention they deserve.