Gun Violence

      More than 500 people have died of gunfire in Philadelphia so far this year, up from 400 just a few weeks ago.

   Nationwide, the total is nearly 20,000. That's an increase of some 5,000 gunshot fatalities compared to 2018.

   Yet for all the talk about the soaring death rate, there has been little talk about tighter controls. Instead, there have been efforts to blame the increase on the spread of the corona virus and its mutations, which bring more tension to social relationships.

   That may well be true, but deaths from the virus have increased in other countries worldwide, and it's not clear whether gun deaths have also increased in those countries.

   Meanwhile, the logic is clear: More guns bring more deaths. Therefore, fewer guns will mean fewer deaths.

   One wonders whether Canada, which has strict gun ownership laws, has also seen an increase in gun violence and deaths. A quick check shows that gun homicides in Canada reached a five-year high in 2020 at a total of 277. Or Britain, or Ireland, or Australia, or New Zealand, other nations where the English language is predominant but gun laws are more strict.

   In Britain, gun homicides in 2018 totaled 33. In Australia, there are an estimated 14 firearms per 100 inhabitants. In the United States, that ratio is 120. That means there are more guns in America than there are people.

   That raises the question, why do so many Americans feel they need multiple firearms?

   One reason proposed by the gun lobby is that Americans rely on the Second Amendment to have guns so they can retaliate against invaders. From where, Canada? Apparently these believers do not trust the U.S. military, including the Marine Corps, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces and other highly trained personnel to defend the nation from invaders on the other side of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

   Meanwhile, the proliferation of guns in America leads to more killings of students and children while they are attending school.