Weapon possession grew in the US by social fear

Weapon possession in the US continues has grown, as citizens feel increasingly unsafe in their own country

Weapon possession grew in the US by social fear

7.7 million Americans have about half of all 264 million guns available in the US. That's scarily a lot. And because people do not feel safe, they might go on. The total possession of weapons continues to grow. There are even individuals with 140 firearms in their possession.

Strong increase

In the nineties (about twenty years ago) there were about 194 million guns in circulation in America. This only applies to the private ownership of this. This is the result of studies carried out by Harvard and Northeastern University. Now, twenty years later, 55 million people of the total of 320 million Americans own a weapon. Of which 3% of the entire population owns half of them, meaning about 133 million weapons, approximately seventeen firearms per person. Not only are the men in possession of a firearm, also the number of women who have a weapon is growing steadily. This is mainly due to self-defence but also because people generally feel safe with a gun. As a result, more and more people are buying a weapon.

Many Dead

There are also many deaths every year by the bullets of firearms in the US; ± 30,000 civilians. Of the 30,000 people, 20,000 are affected by suicide. This number is also quite high. Of course, not all weapons are bought; a large number is also stolen. Annually this means a total of around 400,000 firearms.

Children with shot wounds

As the possession of weapons continues to increase, more and more children with a shot wound are admitted to hospital. Research (which was held in all US states) has shown that there is a correlation between the percentage of houses where firearms are found and the number of hospitalisations. In particular, the number of shot wounds that occur at home increases as the possession of the weapon increases.

Death rate

The mortality rate is so much higher in children with a shot injury than any other reason for hospitalisation. Unfortunately, the death rate of children with a shot wound will continue to increase when Americans continue to purchase weapons.