What makes America’s gun culture totally unique in the world, in four charts (It's the Guns, Stupid)

[morningfog]

The deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary is provoking another heated round of the same conversation that the U.S. has after every mass shooting: is there something particular or unusual to our gun culture? The answer, based on this comparative data from the international Small Arms Survey, is that yes, American gun ownership rates are positively unparalleled.

These three charts show America’s gun ownership as compared to the rest of the world. In every chart, the U.S. is colored red so that it’s easy to spot. It’s also, you’ll notice, by far the highest number on every chart. This first chart shows the rate of privately owned guns per capita in every nation in the world, ranked from least to most.











http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/15/what-makes-americas-gun-culture-totally-unique-in-the-world-as-demonstrated-in-four-charts/

[Bonobo]

1. No. didn't you know? It's actually the PlayStations and Xboxes! nt

[earthside]

3. A bit reactionary?

Just like the gun nuts ... their object of obsession can never be blamed.

Folks who want to see an end to these mass slaughters need to be open to reexamining anything that helps create the culture of violence in this nation that might contribute to these kinds of horrors.

Right?

[Bonobo]

4. I'm no fan of the army games, in fact I hate them.

But I am not going to be so stupid as to assign blame to them.

I remember when people thought the old Dungeons & Dragons played with dice and imagination were warping the kids.

[DanTex]

2. And then there's this one...

[bulloney]

5. The U.S. is already armed to the teeth relative to other countries.

Why would maintaining the status quo make this country safer? Or relaxing gun laws even further reverse that trend?