Gun violence in America — and their dangerously weak and absurd laws.
In this blog, I will explain just how dangerous and ironic America’s weak gun laws are — when things much less dangerous than guns, including alcohol, are tightly regulated by the law.
May, 2022 alone, the month of multiple mass shootings in the United States of America. The Buffalo hate-filled massacre, the Orange County shooting and the recent Texas school shooting are just three examples here. There are more gun violence related incidents that have happened in the month of May 2022. And there are heaps more that have occurred across the world, including in my own country, New Zealand. The recent incidents have, once again, spurred gun debate. And yet, little is done about tightening gun laws in the wake of the attacks.
Yet things that are way less dangerous than guns — such as bungy jumping, alcohol, certain foods, other adventure sports, abortion (which saves the life of the pregnant person who needs it) and even natural drugs and herbs such as cannabis are way more regulated than guns, some very tightly so or are even banned. Which is most ironic, given that alcohol is drank for enjoyment, people enjoy getting adrenaline rushes from extreme sports (which also has health benefits) and cannabis is used for many different reasons, be it health or recreational use.
I have done bungy jumping three times now, and will continue to do more in the future (and will pursue other extreme sports). And I have underlying conditions — bungy jumping and other high adrenaline related sports does not impact on me negatively in any way. And I also drink alcohol — and it doesn’t affect me negatively, either (and have even enjoyed alcohol after doing adrenaline-fueled activities!). And neither do I attack or harass people after drinking — the drinker is responsible for their own actions. And I am against gun usage, unless for legitimate reasons, such as pest control, hunting animals or use by police as a last resort and in appropriate situations.
We will now look at some examples of absurd laws on things that are less dangerous than guns — and compare them to the current gun laws in America.
One example is the striking contrast between the legal drinking/purchasing age in the US and that of purchasing and using guns in the same country. You need to be at least 21 years or over to drink alcohol, despite it causing less harm than a gun. In the same paragraph, you only need to be 18 years old to purchase a gun, and even children can be seen using or posing with guns. Also, guns are allowed in public, whereas in some states, public drinking is banned, or at least tightly regulated. And remember, alcohol does not cause massacres, but guns can, especially in the wrong hands. And people drink alcohol for enjoyment, while mass shooters use guns to kill, which is the other difference.
Another example is abortion. Texas has come down very hard on abortion in recent days (and also, notably, the Roe vs Wade case in which there are current fears that it could be overturned, thus potentially strictly regulating or even banning abortion, amongst other needs relating to women’s health). Yet Texas has some of the weakest gun laws in the states (currently standing at 17th place), meaning that people can easily carry guns around.
Abortion is illegal currently in Texas, once a heartbeat has been detected. However, unlike guns, abortion actually saves lives, while guns take lives. For example, an abortion is needed if a pregnant person has a ectopic pregnancy, which threatens the life of the pregnant person. And despite this, Texas has very weak gun laws.
A final example is bungy jumping. Bungy jumping, notably in places like South Carolina, is also highly regulated. Like many thrill sports involving adrenaline and an elevated risk of death or injury, it is up there with those other tightly regulated extreme or adventure sports. If you wanted to do a Nevis — style bungy, or go tandem in South Carolina for instance — you’re out of luck, unfortunately. This is because not only tandem bungy jumping is banned in South Carolina, but you cannot bungy of a suspended platform. You can only bungy above a safety bag, and nothing else. And bizarrely, the maximum bungy height is 24 meters (80 feet). Even though New Zealand and other places have shown that bungy jumping from very high heights can be done safely. Also, the irony of this is that all this is enforced while the state in question has pretty relaxed gun laws, and guns are far more dangerous than bungy jumping, as this month alone has demonstrated.
I hope America actually does the right thing and legalize abortion, relax the laws on alcohol, extreme sports of any kind, including bungy jumping and cannabis and natural herbs. And actually take action on gun violence, not just talk the talk. America’s weak gun laws, lack of enforcement and failing to check backgrounds are what’s killing their own citizens.
People have died from guns, and many are continuing to die from it. Enough is enough — one gun death is a death too many. Semi automatic rifles need to be banned full stop, and people should be banned from using any type of gun in every city around the world, not just the US. Everyone is angry with the continuing cycle of gun violence, and rightly so. Until laws and legislations are passed on gun usage and possessions, and until proper gun control laws are enacted with enforcement and background checks, we will continue to see tragedy after tragedy occur.
