Study: Nations Awash in Guns Are Simply Killing Themselves

Though most Americans might argue that a scientific study on such a self-evident truth was hardly necessary, the American Journal of Medicine on Wednesday has published findings that show countries with lower gun ownership rates are safer than those—with the U.S. being the bloodiest example—where firearms are extremely prevalent and highly unregulated.

The report—Gun Ownership and Firearm-related Deaths (pdf)—which looks closely at the correlation between gun ownership figures and gun violence mortality rates in 27 countries, firmly debunks the endlessly repeatedly claims by the gun industry lobby and right-wing advocacy groups like the National Rifle Association that claim “guns make a nation safer.”

Released just two days after another mass shooting in the U.S., its scheduled publication was pushed up after a man killed twelve people at a naval yard in Washington, DC. Controlling for the prevalence of mental illness in a society, the study found the “correlation between guns per capita per country and the rate off firearm-related deaths” was striking and impossible to ignore.

According to the report:

“Although correlation is not the same as causation, it seems conceivable that abundant gun availability facilitates firearm-related deaths,” said the authors of the study, Sripal Bangalore of NYU Langone Medical Center, and Franz H Messerli of St Luke’s Roosevelt hospital at Columbia University.

Though they allowed that “high crime rates may instigate widespread anxiety and fear, thereby motivating people to arm themselves and give rise to increased gun ownership” they said this “resulting vicious cycle” would also help explain the “polarized status that is now the case with the US” where even as a majority segment of the population wants tougher gun safety laws, a powerful minority is able to successfully lobby against it.

Either way, what the report attempted to do was test the claims by pro-gun interests who repeatedly make claims unsupported by objective analysis.

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For example, as many critics of their argument point out, gun industry lobbyists have tried to deflect responsibility for mass shootings by claiming that mental illness is the true culprit, not the easy access to guns that perpetrators have.

As the report notes:

Looking at international data, here’s what they found:

The study has been underway for sometime, but its release was expedited following Monday’s workplace massacre in Washington, DC.

As The Guardian reports:

As it turns out, according to this study, the massacre in Washington, DC on Monday—like the many that came before it and those sure to follow—was very American, indeed.

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