America, Fuck Yeah!

We're Number One! We're Number One!

The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.
-----------
On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

So I'm trying to figure out, why is President Bush so afraid that the Iraqis will come over here? Hell, we'll outgun them at leat two to one. Let 'em come over here. As Rick in Casablanca said, "There are certain parts of New York, major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade." 

But in seriousness, these statistics are pretty insane. Here's another movie line from Barcelona (great film):

Woman (Shootings in America): You can't say Americans are not more violent than other people.

Fred: No.

Woman (Shootings in America): All those people killed in shootings in America?

Fred: Oh, shootings, yes. But that doesn't mean Americans are more violent than other people. We're just better shots.

Whatta culture we have.

Comments

[ajay]

Presumably a fair number of US military personnel don't have personal weapons, because they work in offices in the Pentagon or whatever. Does this then mean that the US army is on average less heavily armed than the rest of the US?

[Robot Economist]

I guess you could say we're number one with a bullet...

Zing!!!!

[Jonathan Baum]

Yes, a terrible culture. That must be the reason why everyone wants to move there.

[James]

Actually, I think highlights the impact of culture and wealth on weapons ownership and violence. Neither Finland nor Switzerland are especially violent countries, yet both are pretty heavily armed. By contrast, Iraq is extremely violent and would likely be even more heavily armed if only they had the money to buy more weapons. There are probably a lot of countries like that.

As for the US, it's pretty bloody when compared with other wealthy Western countries, but not really out of line in comparison to the global average. I think the actual number of weapons is more a function of disposable income than malign intent. Hell, I have a shotgun in my closet that I haven't even looked at in years, but that doesn't make me a bloodthirsty wannabe cowboy. It only makes me part of the crowd, I guess.

[J.]

Jonathan, I didn't say the gun culture was terrible, did I? I'm one of those gun owners. I just find it odd, illogical, contrary to the ideals of America that we're so quick to allow these guns to flood the streets, and then we sob over how Virginia Tech students are mowed down by a madman. So much for their individual rights. As the man said, we don't have a violent society, just individuals who are better shots than Finnish or Yemenis etc.

[ajay]

Yes, a terrible culture. That must be the reason why everyone wants to move there.

Or, in other words, "Yay! We're marginally nicer than Mexico!"

[NVH]

AJAY i know a half mexican and she's pretty nice so I don't think your statement stands.

J it's just a question of training. I own a gun too and don't think for one minute I won't teach my 2 daughters and whoever comes after them how to shoot, disable, reload, and safe a pistol should they come across. Oh, and the police training comes in handy when it's pointed at your head as well or when you hear shots coming down the hallway to shut, lock the door, and get behind the desk. The conversation will happen on their 18th birthdays before college of what are you going to do when? It just has to. No sobbing, and even if by some unlucky whim something bad happens, at least I'll know I did everything I could. This is getting really hard to write now...

[Maxtrue]

I find it odd after glancing at the movie Stealth, that Hollywood makes so much money on violence and military fantasy. I mean, in Stealth a robot super jet gets out of control, bombs nuke smuggling terrorists in some Central Asian country and we end up shooting down Russian pilots. No wonder Russians are building an advanced UAV. Pulp Fiction and other movies rake in money, yet Hollywood stands behind more "gun control". The point is, the very shrill anti-gun wing finds it consistent to promote violence, bravado and more guns and then laments a bad and violent America. Seems the problem does not revolve around responsible law-abiding citizens.

The solution to guns is to allow only qualified people to have them. Background checks (real ones please), registration etc. and then tough penalties for black market activities and crimes committed with guns.

[Darrel]

It makes me sick how many Americans own and use guns. They need to change something about that because most Americans that have guns are a bunch of hot heads. P.S. Will someone tell Bush to go fuck himself and drill oil in his own country. We all know he likes pushing all the countries around but he'll only do so if there's oil in it, fucking money hungry bastard. Now he's worth the bullet.