Is human life really so cheap that ownership of guns outweighs it?

Another mass killing of innocent children in America. With the right to own/bear arms, why are there so many people who happily take their weapons to gun down children? Why are there not rules about carrying weapons in public?

In Switzerland, there are rifles in every home, since all Swiss are members of the national militia. But you never hear of mass killings. Same in Austria. In the United States, there must be some widespread psychological problem that young people think they can fulfil some delusion by killing innocent children.

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Roadsterrider · 56-60, M

The Swiss actually have a higher rate of mass shooting deaths than the US per capita. The US doesn't even make the top 10.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/mass-shootings-by-country

Average (Mean) Annual Death Rate per Million People from Mass Public Shootings (U.S., Canada, and Europe, 2009-2015):
Norway — 1.888
Serbia — 0.381
France — 0.347
Macedonia — 0.337
Albania — 0.206
Slovakia — 0.185
Switzerland — 0.142
Finland — 0.132
Belgium — 0.128
Czech Republic — 0.123
United States — 0.089
Austria — 0.068
Netherlands — 0.051
Canada — 0.032
England — 0.027
Germany — 0.023
Russia — 0.012
Italy — 0.009

I don't hear about mass shootings in Switzerland because I don't follow the news from Switzerland but per capita, a Swiss citizen appears 1 and a half times more likely to be killed by a mass shooting event than a US citizen. Norway surprises me, I have been there and while they don't appear to care much for tourists, I wouldn't think they would take the lead worldwide for mass shootings.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

Data can be skewed anyway one wishes. Same data using median number of mass shootings. [image deleted]@Roadsterrider

Roadsterrider · 56-60, M

@Handfull1 I agree with that, the numbers never lie but you can make them say whatever you want if you ask the right question. That is why I include a link when using statistics. The company I work for is a French company, I have talked to coworkers from France and have discussed mass shooting events that have happened in France so zero for that country is not correct. In November of 2015 there was an mass shooting in France that 137 people were killed. Terrorists killed 137 people in a country with strict gun control. Why is it that every mass shooting happens in a "gun free zone"? Why is it that the shooters kill them selves when police show up? Because they want to make a statement by killing unarmed victims. They are cowards who don't want a fight, they are preying on the weak.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

@Roadsterrider the one that just happened in Milwaukee was not in a gun free zone. I’m guessing there are others also. I doubt this latest shooter was even sane enough to be a coward.

Roadsterrider · 56-60, M

@Handfull1 If you are bar hopping in Wisconsin you have to have a concealed carry permit to have a firearm, I don't know about WI but in my state, you have to listen to a spiel from the sheriff about where you should and shouldn't carry, alcohol is a distinct no-no if carrying. The guys that perpetrated this didn't make a plan to go shoot up the town, they had problems with each other previous meeting up on the street. Reading up on it, if convicted the guys that were shooting could get 230 years in prison. If you want to know what the problem is, follow up on their trial and see what they actually get. When they are out in six months, back on the street to do it again, that is the problem.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@Handfull1

One way to skew the data is to selectively move the decimal point so it rounds to zero.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

@Heartlander I get that. Was just pointing out things aren’t always accurate. On both sides!

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@Handfull1

:) the only way to have a true zero median would be to have data with negative (below zero) occurrences or no data at all.

The overall argument should be redirected to the "why" do we have so many Americans hell bent on harming or murdering other people, whether one at a time or in mass.

Shooting victims need to be merged with knife victims and those killed with a baseball bat or pushed into the path of a subway. What they all have in common is that there is a someone who wants to kill someone else. Why in the US do we have so many of these people?