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As rich, advanced and accomplished as the country may be, the United States has not been up to the task of dealing with the scourge of armed violence.
But as the country faces another mass murder committed by an angry man with a deadly weapon, it may be time to recall how many times Americans turn to guns to express their displeasure, their hatred and their prejudices against their compatriots.
In 2018 alone, including the latest carnage in a Pittsburgh synagogue, 47,220 firearms-related incidents resulted in 11,984 deaths in the United States, according to data compiled by Gun Violence Archive, a group of independent data collection and research.
This represents 157 incidents and 40 deaths per day, not counting 22,000 suicides. Of the total deaths, 548 were children, while 2,321 were adolescents.
Of course, ardent supporters of gun rights claim that an armed citizen is a safer citizen. Nothing stopping a bad guy with a gun, like a good one with a gun, is a popular topic of discussion for the National Rifle Association. And President Trump asked Saturday whether the guns inside the synagogue could have had a less tragic result.
President Trump, questioned about gun laws, said the Pittsburgh synagogue should have had armed security devices and that the gunman could not do what he did. pic.twitter.com/y9Cq59wPM5
– Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) October 27, 2018
But of the 2018 shooting incidents, only 1,478 cases, or 3.1% of the total, involved defensive weapon use.
In Pittsburgh, at least 11 people were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue by a suspect who shouted, "All Jews must die," according to KDKA.
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