Bonhoeffer says in his ETHICS: “We cannot experience the reality of God without the reality of the world; nor the reality of the world without the reality of God.” Statistical data is one metric for revealing the America’s gun reality. Here are some “realities”.
QUINNIPIAC (February 2018): Americans support stricter gun laws: 66% to 31%; stricter gun law support among gun owners: 50% to 44%; among white men: 58% to 38%; ban on assault weapons: 67% to 29%; mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases: 83% to 14%; belief that if more people would carry guns, we would all be less safe: 59% to 33%; it is too easy to buy a gun: 67% to 3%; Congress needs to do more to reduce gun violence: 75% to 17%; support for universal background checks: 97% to 2%; support for universal background checks among gun owners: 97% to 3%.
BRADY: 90% of Americans want background checks on all gun sales; 84% want gun safety education before all first gun purchases; 75% support a 30 day waiting period for all gun purchases; majorities want private guns registered and a license required for purchases, assault weapons and high capacity magazines banned; 70% of Americans choose not to own a gun at all; 12% to 22% support allowing concealed carry without a permit.
GIFFORDS: Regarding gun violence in schools: In 80% of shootings, the weapon is procured from home, or from a friend or relative; in 77% of incidents, others were aware of the shooter’s plans; Daily Gun Violence in America: 111 people are shot and killed, 65 people die from gun suicide, 210 people survive gunshots, 8 children and teens are unintentionally shot, 2 children and teens attempt suicide by firearm. NATIONWIDE: 4.6 million USA children live in a home with a loaded and unlocked firearm, 42% of Americans live in a home with a firearm; the USA accounts for 35% of all firearm suicides in the world, despite accounting for just 4% of the world’s population, in 2020, 45,222 Americans lost their lives from firearm-related injuries; the USA has more guns than it has people.
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND PROTECT MINNESOTA (2021): 571 lost to gun violence: Homicide-176 (30.8%), Suicide-391 (68.4%), Could Not be Determined-5 (0.9%); Youth Deaths (ages 0-19)-44, Ages 20-29, 132; Men account for 88.2% of all deaths; Fatal shootings by law enforcement-12; Men account for 91.3% of all suicides; 54% of Minnesotans who own firearms DO NOT properly store them; Most homicides in Minnesota are committed with a firearm.
FIREARM DEATH RATE (World Population Review): 1) Honduras; 2) Venezuela; 3) El Salvador; 4) Eswatini; 5) Guatemala; 6) Jamaica; 7) Brazil; 8) Columbia; 9) Panama; 10) USA.
What are the messages in this data? What reality of God addresses this world data-reality? What is God’s Will for people? Are these statistics indicative of what it means to be created in the Image of God?
Peace!
Ron Letnes (Rev. Dr.)