“Drop, hide, don’t make a sound” is beginning to be the first instinct for students in America.
There are more guns in the US than people.
There are about 393 million privately owned firearms in the US, according to an estimate by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey – or in other words, 120 guns for every 100 Americans. That’s the highest rate of any country in the world, and more than double the rate of the next country on the list.
The authors estimate that of the 265 million privately owned firearms in the US, about half are owned by 3% of the US adult population. What does this say about the policies in place?
School years in the United States typically range from 160 to 180 days depending on the state, excluding holidays, such as Thanksgiving, breaks, and weekends. Hence, schools may be referred to as a home away from home.
There were approximately 35 gun attacks in schools across America as of October that resulted in injuries and deaths in the year 2022 alone.
With about 48% of White men say they own a gun, the Pew survey found. By contrast, 24% of White women and 24% of non-White men said they owned a gun. Women of color reported the lowest rates of gun ownership at 16%.
There are different reasons why a person may see the need to own a gun.
Where a person lives also plays a role. The Pew survey found that 46% of those who lived in rural areas said they owned a gun, while only 28% of suburbanites and 19% of city dwellers owned a gun. The Northeast has the lowest rates of gun ownership at 16%, while roughly a third of people in the South, Midwest and West report personally owning a gun.
How a person is raised can also influence gun ownership. About 67% of gun owners say they grew up in a gun-owning household, while only 40% of those who don’t own guns did, Pew researchers report.
Protection is a motivator for a vast majority of people. Pew found that two-thirds of gun owners cited protection as a major reason for owning a gun, while about four in 10 cited hunting and three in 10 cited sport shooting as a major reason.
There are also some slight variations in gun ownership across educational levels. Those who have a bachelor’s degree or higher are somewhat less likely to own a gun compared to those who have a high school diploma or only completed some college. How do you interpret this?
