Gun Control/ How there are more guns than humans in the United States

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More Guns Than Humans in the United States
The total sum of guns among human populations in the United States is more than the people such that it is impossible to monitor every single firearm (Rossi 10). Although it is hard to know the actual number of guns in the hands of the civilians, some studies and reports confirm this statement. The fact explains why in the recent years the United States has witnessed cases of mass shooting using legally or illegally owned guns.
“In 2015, the Washington Post estimated the number of firearms national wide at 357 million. That’s already a staggering figure, but it becomes even more so when compared with the country’s population, which at that time was 317 million (Rossi 12).” The calculation involved taking the number documented in from 1989 up to 2013 verses. The rate of increase in guns was estimated and compared to the percentage of the increase in population (Rossi 12). Going by these calculations, it means there are 40 million more guns than the people. By 2015, therefore, the number of guns were more than the people.
The national shooting sports foundation (NSSF) also released a statement in 2016 saying that the firearm industry had grown by 158 percentages (Rossi 13). The expansion was during the eight years of Obama administration. During President Obama’s tenure, many people rushed to acquire firearms to avoid losing the opportunity. During Obama’s time in office, there was deadly mass shooting, for instance, the Sunday hook incidence prompting people to arm themselves.

In 2009, gun makers produced around 5.6 million guns while by 2013, production had increased to 10.9 million guns per year. The implication is that there are 113 guns per 100 persons.
There are more guns in states that report higher homicide rate. A research done by Harvard Injury Control Research Center found a relationship between suicides and gun ownership (Rossi 16). In those states with higher incidences of killing, people tend to purchase more guns to protect themselves. In so doing the number of guns increase. “Private gun sales which are largely unregulated. It creates a serious problem since there is strong evidence that is purchased through informal, third-party channels (Rossi 17)”. In the United States, one should purchase a gun from a licensed gun shop. However, some people buy through the third party. A report by the Bureau of Weapons found that guns were being sold on the streets. The weapons are thus not recorded and add to the high number of the civilians. ATF recommends that all firearms should pass through a federal firearm license.
A report by ATF (2009-2014) shows that 70% of the guns confiscated in Mexico originated from the United States. A further report by the Government Accountability Office indicated that the illegal firearms in Mexico originated from all the 50 states. The implication is that there are many firearms in the US to the extent that some people export them to Mexico. The traditional form of marketing where one needs to go to the shop to purchase or see guns has changed. “Anyone can sell a gun without a federal firearms license from their home, online at a flea market or a gun show (Rossi 19).” The kind of sales allows people to own a gun without the record going to the government. The number of undocumented rifles thus increases raising the number compared to the population.
Guns become obsolete in the United States every year. These firearms represent 1% of the total rifles count. When we compare the old weapons to the total number of guns, the old weapons are about 3 million. Although unused, arms are made of metals and can last for many more years. The rifles thus raise the total count per population. “ATF lost track of as many as 2000 weapons, including the assault rifle that killed Terry (Rossi 20)”. ATF is thus ineffective in providing a complete database of the weapons to the citizens. The organ cannot also keep track of all the firearms and give the correct statistics. It thus implies that mare weapons leave the country while others enter accounting for a large number of guns.
In conclusion, the number of guns in the US is higher than the population of the people. The high number has resulted in the shooting and other cases, for instance, homicide. It is vital for the government to track the guns to ascertain they are in the right hands.
Work Cited.
Rossi, Peter H. Under the gun: Weapons, crime, and violence in America. Routledge, 2017.