Leo Zuckerman is a leading Mexican political analyst and commentator. This is his column in the newspaper, Excelsior.
The U.S. Defect
Leo Zuckermann
The United States is a generally peaceful country, but compared to other nations with similar levels of economic development, it is more violent. The annual homicide rate in our northern neighbor is five per hundred thousand inhabitants, while in another country like Great Britain, 1.28. Many factors explain this difference. But one of the key variables to explain why there is more violence in the United States is the Second Amendment of the Constitution that gives any individual the right to bear arms. And when it comes to weapons we are not talking about a .22 caliber pistol but automatic assault rifles that in other parts of the world only the military use.
The appreciation of weapons is deeply rooted in U.S. culture. It has an historical origin : it comes from a nation that was born and forged by conquering indigenous territories with bullets. Since then, until today, most U.S. citizens favor the right to bear arms.
Personally, I consider it a flaw in the country. I am against the freedom of an individual to sell, buy or carry a gun. I think the state should strictly regulate this issue. It's insane that any citizen has the right to access an assault rifle without any problem. It's crazy that a fool can buy weapons with ease. The empirical evidence is clear: the societies where the state controls and regulates the carrying of arms are more peaceful, as in Great Britain.
The "U.S. defect" largely explains the reason for increased violence in that country with respect to others with the same level of development. It is a very important part of the explanation of familiar cases of crazy people who have enacted very shocking murders.
In 1999, Eric Harris,18 years old, and Dylan Klebold,17, entered Columbine High School with several weapons. They fired indiscriminately in the cafeteria and hallways and killed 12 students and a teacher. Subsequently, they committed suicide.
In 2002, John Allen Muhammad terrorized the U.S. capital for several weeks. He killed ten people and injured three others with a high caliber rifle tucked away in the trunk of his car. He tried to blackmail the authorities to pay him ten million dollars. He was apprehended and sentenced to death.
In 2007, ChoSeung-Hui, a 23 year-old Virginia Tech student, armed with two pistols, killed 32 people in college. Then himself.
The newest episode was last week in Tucson, Arizona, when Jared Loughna shot at a political rally, killing six people and wounding 18, including Congressional Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Without any problem, another crazy person bought a Glock 19, which can fire 31 bullets in a blink of an eye. And in Tucson anyone can acquire a gun of this type, either in the many gun shops that exist or on a website. The only thing you need is a valid credit card. Nothing more. There is no control.
The world is full of crazy people. The problem is when the crazies have unrestricted access to weapons. This is what happens in the U.S. where the mad may be armed to the teeth.
In the case of Loughna one must add his taste for the U.S. right-wing campaigns that, with virulent rhetoric, attacked Giffords in the last election. The Representative was harshly criticized for her stance in favor of immigration, reform to health care, government intervention in the general economy and the policies of President Obama. In Loughna’s unbalanced mind, he literally had to attack the deputy and dispatch her from this world. She didn’t deserve to live. So he emptied his Glock 19 in the middle of a rally. Probably he bought the bullets at the supermarket on the corner. It is absurd. It is another case of the "U.S. defect." Jan. 12, 2011
Original in Spanish: Excelsior
The United States is a generally peaceful country, but compared to other nations with similar levels of economic development, it is more violent. The annual homicide rate in our northern neighbor is five per hundred thousand inhabitants, while in another country like Great Britain, 1.28. Many factors explain this difference. But one of the key variables to explain why there is more violence in the United States is the Second Amendment of the Constitution that gives any individual the right to bear arms. And when it comes to weapons we are not talking about a .22 caliber pistol but automatic assault rifles that in other parts of the world only the military use.
The appreciation of weapons is deeply rooted in U.S. culture. It has an historical origin : it comes from a nation that was born and forged by conquering indigenous territories with bullets. Since then, until today, most U.S. citizens favor the right to bear arms.
Personally, I consider it a flaw in the country. I am against the freedom of an individual to sell, buy or carry a gun. I think the state should strictly regulate this issue. It's insane that any citizen has the right to access an assault rifle without any problem. It's crazy that a fool can buy weapons with ease. The empirical evidence is clear: the societies where the state controls and regulates the carrying of arms are more peaceful, as in Great Britain.
The "U.S. defect" largely explains the reason for increased violence in that country with respect to others with the same level of development. It is a very important part of the explanation of familiar cases of crazy people who have enacted very shocking murders.
In 1999, Eric Harris,18 years old, and Dylan Klebold,17, entered Columbine High School with several weapons. They fired indiscriminately in the cafeteria and hallways and killed 12 students and a teacher. Subsequently, they committed suicide.
In 2002, John Allen Muhammad terrorized the U.S. capital for several weeks. He killed ten people and injured three others with a high caliber rifle tucked away in the trunk of his car. He tried to blackmail the authorities to pay him ten million dollars. He was apprehended and sentenced to death.
In 2007, ChoSeung-Hui, a 23 year-old Virginia Tech student, armed with two pistols, killed 32 people in college. Then himself.
The newest episode was last week in Tucson, Arizona, when Jared Loughna shot at a political rally, killing six people and wounding 18, including Congressional Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Without any problem, another crazy person bought a Glock 19, which can fire 31 bullets in a blink of an eye. And in Tucson anyone can acquire a gun of this type, either in the many gun shops that exist or on a website. The only thing you need is a valid credit card. Nothing more. There is no control.
The world is full of crazy people. The problem is when the crazies have unrestricted access to weapons. This is what happens in the U.S. where the mad may be armed to the teeth.
In the case of Loughna one must add his taste for the U.S. right-wing campaigns that, with virulent rhetoric, attacked Giffords in the last election. The Representative was harshly criticized for her stance in favor of immigration, reform to health care, government intervention in the general economy and the policies of President Obama. In Loughna’s unbalanced mind, he literally had to attack the deputy and dispatch her from this world. She didn’t deserve to live. So he emptied his Glock 19 in the middle of a rally. Probably he bought the bullets at the supermarket on the corner. It is absurd. It is another case of the "U.S. defect." Jan. 12, 2011
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