Who Is Afraid of Gun Owners and Why?
Gun ownership in America is a serious problem – and often, people even flee from a firecracker, of fear that guns may be implicated. A worrying statistic from 2017 shows that 42% of American households own at least one gun, while another shows that 393 million guns are reported to 50 million households.
Being afraid of guns is a normal thing in America. Even gun owners are afraid of guns, because shootings may happen once in a while due to a very deranged person.
Not only that, but some people also fail to store their guns properly. Children could reach the guns for fun purposes and unfortunately, it will turn into a tragedy. If children that find guns in their home don’t use them for fun, they will use them for self-defense and get their revenge on someone.
An unfortunate case of a 12-year-old in Iowa arrived in school on the 31st of August 2018 with a loaded gun and tried to shoot his teacher, as well as a few of his colleagues. These events happen when people that own guns don’t store the ammo and the guns properly, out of children’s reach.
With these being said, let’s see who is really afraid of gun owners and why.
Parents
Parents, of course, are afraid for their child’s safety at school. A number of school shootings may occur, and the assailants may be deranged people with a very thick psychiatric file. They can even be a student.
The infamous 1999 Columbine high school massacre was one of the bloodiest school shootings that happened in America, with the perpetrators were students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. A total number of 15 deaths and 24 other injured students and teachers were declared. Eventually, after the building was surrounded by the police, the perpetrators committed suicide.
The parents fear school shootings and it is normal for them to be worried. However, school shootings are incredibly rare and don’t occur as often as many people assume.
High school shootings are not the only fear of a parent. If the parents own a gun or more, the children may find them and use them for their own entertainment. However, this is the main concern for parents who own a gun and the must be stored safely out of the reach of children.
A strong suggestion is to store the ammunition in a different place. It needs to be away from the gun – and the gun must be unloaded, cleaned and stored under a lock or a key.
Drivers
Shootings from a vehicle are a hit and run strategy that is pretty common in the US, which may cause other drivers to be caught in the crossfire between the perpetrators and the police. Nonetheless, other drivers that are not US citizens are also scared even to honk at another car – mainly because they will never know if the other driver has a gun and a very bad day.
A reporter from the UK that moved to the US states that somebody from home asked: “What you hate most about America?” His answer was “Guns”.
Gun Owners
It may sound stupid at first, but yes, gun owners are afraid of guns. Most of them buy guns to protect themselves from guns. It’s like the “fight fire with fire” method. As such, the gun owners in America increase in number.
Some gun owners have lots of firearms and rifles just for pure entertainment and target practice during their spare time. Some of them may actually own a firearm for protection against thieves and robbers.
Plus, if they work in a bank and handle lots of cash outside the office, they will need a small handgun. Most of the people that need a gun for protection are looking for a gun that has a strong stopping force.
While modern guns are for protection purposes or purely for entertainment, some gun owners are die-hard collectors of antique firearms. These collectors mainly display their guns in a case in their home, on the wall or on top of a fireplace – unloaded and perfectly safe. As a matter of fact, some of them do not even own ammunition for those guns.
People of Color
Shootings on racial reasons is a big thing in the US and not only. A case like this happened in October 2018 when an armed white man in Louisville, Kentucky, shot and killed two elderly black people in front of a store. The police research stated that the murders were carried by Gregory Bush, a white supremacist. When the suspect was arrested minutes after the incident, Bush stated that “Whites don’t kill whites.”
Racism is still a matter of concern in America – and if guns are implicated, this could be a recipe for a big shootout between people that have other racial views.
A statistic shows that white people own more guns than black people in the US. According to the statistic, white people own 36% of all legally purchased guns in America compared to 24% of black people that legally own a gun.
Conclusion
To conclude the above information and statistics, more and more people purchase guns in the US mainly for recreational purposes, to add to their collection of antique firearms. Some firearms collectors do not even own ammo for those guns, so they will become just classic wall-hangers or above a fireplace.
People usually get scared in the US when it comes to guns because they are so easy to purchase and easy to use – even when it comes to children. Parents are on top of the list because a school shooting may happen – although those are extremely rare. Also, parents who own guns must store them efficiently and out of the reach of children.
Drivers and people of color are susceptible to shootings as street shootouts, and crime involving racial prejudice might happen.
Believe it or not, even gun owners are afraid of guns and some of them mainly buy a gun to protect themselves from guns – which is quite hilarious and troubling at the same time.
Author: Jay Chambers
