AMERICA’S GOT A PROBLEM

The United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, with an estimated 393 million firearms. That’s more than one gun for each of about 341 million people. It should then not come as a surprise that gun-related injuries killed 42,967 people in the United States in 2023.

Research shows a correlation between stricter gun laws and lower rates of gun violence.

However, the mainstream media doesn’t point out that, for Africans, ensuring the right of self-defence against white supremacist violence is paramount. Further, guns find their way into inner cities, where many of our people are forced to live, amplifying the danger of street violence.

The modern gun-control movement emerged after California enacted legislation in 1967 upon seeing Black Panthers wielding firearms in public to defend their communities against brutal police violence.

Some say the high rate of gun violence in the United States mirrors US military violence around the world.

Some would also say it really should not be a surprise that the United States doesn’t offer its citizens healthcare or guarantee other human rights, as the speaker, Ayishat Akanbi (@ayishat_akanbi on IG and X) mentions, because the US began as a profit-driven settler colony rather than simply as a refuge for those allegedly escaping religious persecution.