“Given that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and could potentially be targeting contraception and gay rights next, it is time to remove ‘land of the free’ from our national anthem,” said 68-year-old Regina Gomory, of Crystal Lake, Illinois.
As Supreme Court justices and many elected officials have been chipping away at freedom, Americans who take a hard look at our society may conclude that honest patriots might as well do away with ‘home of the brave’ as well.
After all, guns are now the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. and the reason for so many shootings is the easy access to firearms.
A firearm increases the likelihood that intimate partner violence will become deadly.
Men who own handguns are eight times more likely to die of gun suicides than men who don’t own handguns, and women who own handguns are 35 times more likely than women who don’t.
One meta-analysis ”found strong evidence for increased odds of suicide among persons with access to firearms compared with those without access and moderate evidence for an attenuated increased odds of homicide victimization when persons with and without access to firearms were compared.”
Firearm ownership is more prevalent in the United States than in any other country; approximately 35% to 39% of households have firearms and 22% of Americans report owning one or more guns.
Violence is a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. In 2020, approximately 24,500 people died from homicide, and 46,000 died from suicide.
More than three-quarters of the homicides and half of the suicides involved firearms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2019-2020, the U.S. firearm homicide rate increased by nearly 35%, and the firearm suicide rate remained high.
To find out how widespread the perceived risk of violence is, researchers asked the participants, “Are you concerned that anyone you know might physically hurt” (1) another person and (2) themselves on purpose? Survey results showed that:
- 12% knew at least one person they thought was at risk of hurting others
- 13% knew at least one person they thought was at risk of hurting themselves
About one-quarter of respondents with these concerns thought the person was likely or very likely to harm others (27%) or themselves (22%) within the following year.
“People often recognize warning signs or increased risk before a mass shooting, suicide or other act of violence, but they don’t always know what to do, or they think it’s not their place to intervene. We need to shift that way of thinking and realize that everyone can play a role in preventing violence, especially among our friends, family, co-workers, and others within our social networks,” said Amanda J. Aubel, a research data analyst at UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program.
Actions to reduce the risk of violence
The survey showed that 85% of the survey respondents who knew someone at perceived risk of harming themselves took one or more actions to reduce the risk of the person hurting themselves. Actions included talking with the person about the risk, providing resources, and asking family, friends or a mental health professional for help.
Of those concerned someone they knew was at risk of harming others, 67% took at least one action to reduce their own risk of being hurt by the person. This included ending their relationship with the person and asking for help from friends, family, or a mental health professional.
Few respondents (less than 20%) reduced the person’s access to drugs or alcohol, and even fewer (less than 5%) reduced the person’s access to guns.
Reasons survey respondents said they did not take action included:
- The dangerous situation did not seem likely
- It seemed like a personal matter
- They did not think their actions would help
- They thought their actions might make the situation worse
“People often recognize warning signs or increased risk before a mass shooting, suicide or other act of violence, but they don’t always know what to do, or they think it’s not their place to intervene,” Aubel said. “We need to shift that way of thinking and realize that everyone can play a role in preventing violence, especially among our friends, family, co-workers, and others within our social networks.”
The researchers noted several limitations of the study. Only adults were surveyed, and the data reflect the respondents’ subjective knowledge of people they perceived to be at risk for violence.
Although many survey participants were concerned about more than one person, the study asked respondents to describe only the one person they knew best. California is also unique in several ways, including its relatively low rates of gun ownership and suicide compared to other states.
“Our findings suggest a need for continued resources and community investment in systems of support that empower the public, especially those close to people who may be at elevated risk for violence, with culturally responsive tools and services to effectively intervene before violence occurs,” said Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, senior author of the study and an assistant professor with VPRP.
With so many harmful consequences of having so much access to so many deadly weapons, the fact that the United States has refused to give up its obsession with firearms reveals that Americans are cowards. That is why is in no longer apropos to call America the land of the free, or the home of the brave.