Recently, there are many in the establishment media that have been hyper focused on shootings in the United States. These are news worthy events and of course should be covered, but there is no reason every shooting should receive wall-to-wall coverage on national news. These events should be largely covered by local media. So, the amount of coverage on these events raises questions on ulterior motives that the establishment media may have. It’s almost as if the media is trying to push a narrative. Could it be that the media is covering certain events to make it seem like these events are more of a problem than they actually are? Judging by the amount of coverage that these shootings receive it is not irrational to think that these shootings are one of the biggest threats to the United States today. The media will give statistics, but these are only half truths. All these statistics that the media produce help to push the narrative that the Second Amendment to the Constitution should be restricted. The establishment media and their bosses in the Democrat party have pushed the idea that we have a gun crisis in America. Dr. Fauci, the Covid-19 czar, has even dubbed gun violence a public health crisis (Barnes, 2021). Considering the government overreach during the Covid-19 public health crisis I would hate to see how they attack the Second Amendment if they can make the populous believe that gun violence is a public health crisis. I am here to attack the idea that we have a gun crisis and we do not need to have the discussion on restricting the Second Amendment. But if you want to ignore the relevant facts and have the discussion on restricting the Second Amendment, I will have that constitutionality argument.
I want to first say that these shootings are tragic. These was recently a shooting at the FedEx distribution center in Indianapolis, Indiana and that was an event that shook the Indianapolis community to its core. As a Christian I acknowledge that all life is precious, and we should strive to protect all life. As an American I acknowledge that all people have certain rights, and we should not trample on these rights in response to actions of others.
Let’s first take a look at some statistics. In 2019, the most recent year that we have data for, there were 11.9 firearm deaths /100,000 persons (KFF, 2021a). That number is of course different across the United States. In 2019, the state with the most firearm deaths /100,000 persons was Alaska with 24.4 and the state with the least was Massachusetts with 3.4 (KFF, 2021a). In the past twenty years, that number has been somewhere between 10 and 12 deaths /100,000 persons (KFF, 2021a). This equates to around 38,000 firearm deaths /year. In 2016, the United States was second in the world with 37,200 firearm deaths (Santhanam, 2018). That same year the United States was twentieth in deaths /100,000 persons (Santhanam, 2018). I want to put this in perspective with rates of other causes of death in the United States. In 2018, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 570 deaths /100,000 births (KFF, 2021b). That is 50 times higher than the rate of firearm deaths. I don’t remember the last time the establishment media spent any time discussing the issue of infant mortality. I would be surprised if there was a big lobby around the issue of infant mortality. You can be worried about those 11.9 deaths /100,000 persons, but I think time would be better spent on bringing down the 570 deaths /100,000 births. Even the flu accounted for 12.3 deaths /100,000 persons in 2019 (KFF, 2021c). We have discussions yearly about the flu, but we don’t discuss restricting rights to keep flu deaths down. In 2019, there were 21.6 deaths /100,000 persons caused by drug overdoses (CDC, 2021a). This issue is discussed in the news and in government but compared to firearm deaths it is a blip on the radar. Both tobacco and alcohol cause more deaths per year than firearms. Tobacco results in approximately 480,000 deaths /year (CDC, 2020). Alcohol results in approximately 95,000 deaths /year (NIH, 2021). All these things are more of an issue than firearms, but the media and Democrat politicians can only focus on firearms. Even Covid-19 is the cause of more deaths than firearms at 177.82 deaths /100,000 persons (John Hopkins, 2021). There were times this year when the media talked about firearm deaths more than Covid-19 for weeks on end. These deaths are no more of a crisis than any other cause of death in America.
Even within those firearm deaths, the ones that the media focus on are a fraction of the whole number. In 2018, suicides by firearm accounted for 7.3 deaths /100,000 persons (CDC, 2021b). What we are left with is 4.6 deaths /100,000 persons. Additionally, after taking out accidental deaths, what is left is about 4 deaths /100,000 persons (CDC, 2021b). That equates out to 14,414 firearm deaths /year (CDC, 2021b).
If this is a crisis, then everything is a crisis. If we have a populous that believes there is a crisis based on these statistics, then we are in dire straits. The media has tiredly molded popular opinion to a point where citizens can’t think critically anymore. After these shootings happen there are those that get on social media and talk about how you shouldn’t be scared of getting shot when you go to the store, work, or school. If you are scared after going through these statistics, then you are irrational. It’s even worse when you realize that these are publicly available statistics. Instead of verifying information, people are more likely to take face value information they hear on CNN, MSNBC, or FOX. Again, if you have suffered through knowing someone that has died because of a shooting I feel for you. Anecdotal evidence still does not hold up when compared to the statistical evidence in this case.
As I have said, we can have a discussion on how to prevent unnecessary death. It is impossible to have that discussion when the only answer from the Democrats is to restrict the sale of guns. That does not have to even be a part of the discussion around this issue. From 2013-2019, Annual Federal NICS Background Checks, which is a good indication of firearm purchases, averaged around 20 million /year (Cleckner, 2021). In 2020, that number exceeded 40 million (Cleckner, 2021). During that time, as already touched on, deaths caused by firearms have not seen an increase. We can stop pretending that guns are the issue. We can have the discussion about having more robust mental health services. We can also have a discussion around the issue Democrats like to ignore, the breakdown of the nuclear family. I think these are solutions that are ignored because they are much harder to promote in a campaign. It is also hard for the media to cause panic when the issue is mental health.
There are still some that will ignore everything I have put forward. At that point, there is no evidence that anyone can provide to make a difference. The Democrats and establishment media like to vilify Republicans for ignoring gun violence. They push the narrative that Republicans hide behind the Constitution as an excuse to not address gun violence. They refuse to acknowledge that statistics tell an entirely different narrative. On the issue of guns and the Second Amendment, Democrats and the establishment media are bad actors. When one side of the issue is not acknowledged, Republicans can only turn to the constitutionality of restricting the Second Amendment.
“The Constitution guarantees that ‘A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’” (Haskins, 2021). The language of the Second Amendment is clear. The right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Democrats and the establishment media focus in on the well-regulated militia portion, but “the argument that the Second Amendment’s writers intended to restrict individual gun ownership but not gun ownership by militias makes no sense in the historical context” (Haskins, 2021). The Second Amendment was established to protect individual rights by stopping an overbearing federal government. The idea that the Second Amendment is not absolute is completely oblivious to history. Outside of the Second Amendment, the right to defend oneself is connected to our inalienable rights and an argument can be made that it is an inalienable right itself. The Constitution lists the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable rights. Without the right to defend yourself all three of these are for naught. The Second Amendment ensures that a government can’t take away the main avenue that individuals have to defend themselves.
If someone does not at least try to understand where half the country is coming from on this issue, then their opinion should be pushed aside in the public square. I would say this includes most Democrat politicians and those in the establishment media. I understand the other side of this issue. I understand the issue to preventing unnecessary death and I understand how tragic these events are. On the other hand, the other side of this issue is informed by bad actors. They receive half-truths and take information at face value. I think both sides of this issue need to start at the same level and that starts by acknowledging that we don’t have a gun crisis.
Sources
Aizsnman, Nurith. (2019, Aug. 19). Gun Violence Deaths: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda /2021/03/24/980838151/gun-violence-deaths-how-the-u-s-compares-to-the-rest-of-the-world
Barnes, Adam. (2021, Apr. 19). Fauci calls surge in gun violence a public health crisis. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/548972-fauci-calls-surge-in-gun-violence-a-public-health-crisis
CDC. (2020, May 21). Smoking & Tobacco Use. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm#:~:text=Cigarette%20smoking%20is%20responsible%20for,or%201%2C300%20deaths%20every%20day.&text=On%20average%2C%20smokers%20die%2010%20years%20earlier%20than%20nonsmokers.
CDC. (2021, Mar. 1). Assault or Homicide. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ fastats/homicide.htm
CDC. (2021, Mar. 1). Suicide and Self-Harm Injury. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ nchs/fastats/suicide.htm
CDC. (2021, Mar. 3). Drug Overdose Deaths. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html#:~:text=Nearly%20841%2C000%20people%20have%20died,2019%20(21.6%20per%20100%2C000).
Cleckner, Ryan. (2021, May 3). GUN SALES AND MANUFACTURING STATISTICS. Retrieved from https://gunniversity.com/gun-sales-stats
Haskins, Justin. (2021, Apr. 1). According to the Founders, all federal gun restrictions are unconstitutional. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/545847-according-to-the-founders-all-federal-gun-restrictions-are
KFF. (2020, Sep. 10). Infant Mortality Rate. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/other /state-indicator/infant-deathrate/?currentTimeframe=0&sort Model=%7B% 22colId %22:%22Location%2 2,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
KFF. (2021, Feb. 24). Deaths Caused by Influenza and Pneumonia. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/influenza-and-pneumonia-death-rate/?activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=influenza-and-pneumonia-deaths&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort% 22:%22asc%22%7D
KFF. (2021, Feb. 26). Deaths Due to Injury by Firearms per 100,000 Population. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/firearms-death-rate-per-100000/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,% 22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
NIH. (2020, May). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa. nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Santhanam, Laura. (2018, Aug. 28). There’s a new global ranking of gun deaths. Here’s where the U.S. stands. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/theres-a-new-global-ranking-of-gun-deaths-heres-where-the-u-s-stands
Politics with Kegan Prentice 