Breaking News

Up to 200,000 people estimated to travel to Vermont for total solar eclipse How fast will April’s total solar eclipse travel? The UN Security Council demands a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan Mexico in the emerging world order Pennsylvania State Guard Organizes Lithuanian Foreign Minister US Abstention from UN Security Council Resolution on Gaza – US State Department USA beats Mexico 2-0 thanks to goals from Adams and Reyna to win 3rd consecutive CONCACAF Nations League Mexico x United States | Highlights Meaning | The Case for American Intervention in Haiti Julian Assange to hear results of key US extradition ruling

Latin America suffers more lethal violence than any other region in the world. In 2018, 43 of the 50 cities with the highest homicide rates in the world were in that region. Topping the list are several Mexican and Venezuelan cities that experience more than 100 homicides a year per 100,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, approximately three quarters of these murders are the result of weapons. Like the United States, much of Latin America is saturated with firearms, and military-style rifles play a significant role in gun violence. By one measure, however, Latin American countries differ strikingly from their North American counterparts: mass shootings by a “lone wolf” gunman are extremely rare.

Amid an unrelenting series of gun-toting massacres, many have wondered why the United States is more prone to mass shootings than any other country. Americans had barely begun to process the horrific killings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, just ten days apart in May 2022, before facing more shootings, in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4 and Greenwood. , Ind. , on July 17. (In Greenwood, the killer was shot by a bystander after killing three people.) arms market controls are to blame; Republicans and unrestricted gun rights advocates argue that a pathological culture and mental illness are the real culprits. For example, Texas Senator Ted Cruz recently blamed a “cultural disease giving rise to unspeakable acts of evil” among “young Americans.”

But as Latin America shows, the United States is not alone in having large quantities of weapons. And the causes that Cruz and others have identified for this “cultural disease” — fatherless families, declining church attendance, antisocial video games and online content, bullying on social media — are also prevalent in many European countries. Still, no other region of the world comes close to the United States in mass shootings.

In fact, the United States stands out internationally for two important and interrelated reasons: easy access to weapons and a culture that privileges largely unfettered individualism. Partly as a result of cultural forces that are stronger in the United States than in many other parts of the world, a larger portion of men and boys, lacking effective social supports, become aggrieved outcasts and, in extreme cases, they are forced to look for a resource. in indiscriminate violence. Combined with the easy availability of guns, the considerable privacy and autonomy that American culture offers these antisocial boys and men ensures that more of them will carry out their murderous fantasies. Nowhere else in the world do gun access and culture interact in the same way: while many European countries share the same cultural forces that produce aggrieved social outcasts, they place far greater restrictions on guns. In contrast, in Latin America, weapons circulate widely, but these cultural forces, due to the different traditions of social organization, are much less pronounced. Drawing on recent social science research, these insights not only provide a clearer picture of the drivers of mass shootings in the US, they also make a strong case for more targeted and politically feasible remedies.

The United States Is Not Quite Alone

American exceptionalism in mass shootings is beyond question. According to criminologist Jason Silva, although US citizens make up just over four percent of the world’s population, the 114 gun attacks that have taken place in the United States since 1998 represent a staggering 38 percent of such events worldwide. world. That’s an average of 4. On the same subject : IS AMERICA FOR SALE? China’s plan to replace the United States as a superpower.6 mass shootings in the United States per year. (Silva, who provided much of the mass shooting data cited in this article, counts only publicly reported incidents with at least four deaths other than the perpetrators and excludes domestic violence, as well as state-sponsored mass murders, terrorists , insurgent groups and criminal organizations).

However, the data also shows something else: the region of the world that ranks second in mass shootings, albeit a very distant second, is Europe. Social science research often focuses on the psychosocial background of mass shooters, which logically begs the question of whether the rare and toxic combination of factors that seem to produce mass shooters in the United States is also present in Europe. While there is no effective way to estimate the number of potential mass shooters, it is known that the risk factors that have been shown to be very prevalent among mass shooters (trauma exposure, major depression, suicidal ideation, and psychotic disorders) are only slightly more common in the United States than in Europe. Similarly, Americans living with mental illness face more economic hardship and barriers to mental health care than their European counterparts, but all of these cross-continental differences are too small to explain the five-fold difference between the rate of shootings massive in the United States and Europe. And when it comes to a factor that US conservatives have touted as a remedy for gun violence, Americans have notably higher levels of church attendance and religious commitment.

Given similar cultural and health risk environments, then, the reason why there are far fewer public mass shootings in Europe than in the United States is clear: divergent access to guns. By at least one measure, Americans are 4.8 times more likely to own a gun, just as they are 4.8 times more likely to commit mass murder (cumulatively speaking, since 1998). And in all European countries it is more difficult to acquire a firearm than in the United States. Waiting periods are longer, insurance costs are higher, and some countries require full mental health screenings or psychiatric evaluations, as well as gun safety courses. In addition, in Europe it is much more difficult to acquire high-capacity weapons. Had such measures been in place in the United States, many of the perpetrators of mass shootings over the past two decades would have found it difficult or impossible to obtain their weapons.

On the Occasion of World Humanitarian Day - United States Department of State
See the article :
On World Humanitarian Day, we honor the humanitarian workers who have sacrificed…

The Latin American Paradox

Although access to guns largely explains the disparity in the number of mass shootings between the United States and Europe, it does not explain the near absence of mass shootings in many other countries where guns proliferate. Consider the Philippines, where guns are openly sold in shopping malls and gun violence is endemic. In 2018, the country’s firearm homicide rate was 50 percent higher than the United States. However, mass shootings are extremely rare. Filipino criminologist Raymund Narag has argued that the desire to avoid shaming one’s family and community, an important dynamic in Filipino culture, can exert powerful pressure not to commit indiscriminate violence. To see also : Is the United States in a state of irremediable decline? – Analyses. But this explanation fails to account for the scarcity of mass shootings in a very different part of the world. In Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, all countries awash with guns, gun homicide rates far exceed those of the United States. Yet Latin America, which has about 2.25 times more people than the United States, has suffered only nine known single-shooter-style mass shootings since 1998! Why?

One possible explanation is culture. It seems plausible that some cultural and social dynamics at play in Latin America may limit or redirect the kinds of grievances, delusions, and obsessions that might otherwise drive extraordinarily deviant people to commit mass shootings. Unfortunately, there is little research on whether these countries tend to produce fewer suicidal loners or outcasts harboring pent-up grievances or grandiose, paranoid delusions. It is not even possible to rule out that Latin Americans who fit these profiles actually accumulate more murders than their US counterparts, for example, working as hitmen or for police, military or criminal organizations. But a number of salient cultural differences between the United States and countries in this region suggest that fewer Latin Americans who develop psychosocial problems similar to mass shooters ever seriously contemplate mass violence.

Above all, there is the importance of family and relatives. Extended kinship ties play a much larger role in Latin America than in Europe and North America. And while wealthier people in most societies tend to rely much less on extended family ties, Latin America’s middle and upper classes have sustained enduring kinship networks. Since most mass shooters in the United States would be considered middle class by Latin American standards, kinship ties between this stratum of society may be more relevant in explaining the lower rates of mass shootings.

Apparently wealthy Latin Americans are less likely than their American counterparts to become lonely because they live in larger households, have close family, and typically stay with their parents until marriage. Kinship traditions are not only directly protective, but also because they help promote collectivist values ​​such as loyalty, solidarity, and interdependence that help counteract individualistic values. For example, Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede’s research group has described Columbia’s culture as “one of the most collectivist … in the world” with ingroup loyalty (and hostility to outsiders) a major source of status and privileges. Perhaps if a member of the group develops mental or behavioral problems that leave them vulnerable to stigmatization and victimization (the kind of problems that, in other cultural settings, might be precursors to extreme violence), solidarity within the group Kinship network encourages members to support and defend that person. Less wealthy people have an additional incentive to rescue social outcasts and help them feel valued and useful since the deterioration of one member of the group could impose unmanageable financial burdens on the group.

Of course, not all Latin Americans enjoy extensive kinship networks. And this may be especially true for those, however small in number, who exhibit mass shooter risk profiles: Brazil’s infamous school shooter, who killed 12 children at a Rio de Janeiro school in 2011, had been adopted. and lived alone. But another important cultural distinction may also lead Latin Americans away from the dark path. Due to their greater exposure to ecological, health, economic, and political hazards and disturbances, Latin Americans are supposedly more adept at establishing bonds of support and trust beyond their immediate families. The opportunity to form elective associations, which sociologists call “relational mobility”, is particularly high in Latin America: in one study, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela exhibited the highest average levels of relational mobility among the 38 countries and territories studied. . (Although levels of relational mobility are also high in the United States, they are only half the level in Mexico.)

Relational mobility may be important in preventing mass shootings because it fosters an “expressive form of interdependence” that relies heavily on social engagement. Multiple studies have shown that in a variety of situations, Latin Americans are more likely to display socially attractive emotions, such as empathy, warmth, trust, and affection, and less likely to express socially disconnected emotions, such as pride and anger, than their counterparts. in Europe and the United States. Perhaps, therefore, Latin Americans who are on a destructive path or in acute crisis have access to more empathy and social support than their US counterparts.

To see also :
[1/4] US Bradley fighting vehicles that will be deployed in Latvia for…

One-Man Armies

In contrast to Latin American society, the United States seems to have a very different balance between collectivist and individualist values. In the United States, concerns about collective health and safety are often subordinated to the strong emotional and moral value that Americans place on guns with respect to personal freedom and family protection. However, as sociologists Michael Kimmel and Matthew Mahler have pointed out, the ideal of self-sufficiency does not uniformly affect all parts of American society. Some groups draw more heavily than others on narratives of self-reliance as they interpret and deal with their emotional turmoil and grievances. These variations may help explain why the typical ethnic and geographic origin of mass shooters in the United States, mostly white males from rural or suburban towns, is so different from that of other homicidal offenders. More than any other group, white boys and men struggle to situate their personal struggles within collective nonviolent struggles. Although it has been exported globally, the American archetype of the one-man army, the stoic who is willing to sacrifice everything to combat a perceived social or institutional evil, may not carry the same weight in other cultures. A troubled Mexican man, for example, may feel little affinity for the morals and methods of Rambo, Dirty Harry, Travis Bickle, Jack Reacher, Punisher, Joker, etc., lonely white Americans with little or no spiritual conflict. or restrictions related to kinship. Of course, even the most prominent role models for many mass shooters are former mass shooters. And each new mass murder increases the chances that one or more of the group of extreme antisocial misfits will find a martyr with whom they can identify. This may interest you : The United States should send more diplomats to Ukraine, not weapons. ify One last notable dynamic that may minimize mass shootings in Latin America and other developing regions of the world. it’s poverty. In the United States, more would-be mass shooters have access not only to weapons but also to information. Technology (phones, computers, and the Internet) that allows them to validate their dark musings and even plan their attacks. In many developing countries, by contrast, these resources are not as readily available. These economic factors, along with denser social networks and a dearth of mental health professionals to trust, increase the chances that people who have a strong communal or family incentive to avoid it might uncover a plot. Perhaps most importantly, many poor Latin Americans cannot afford to buy guns, which can often cost more than a month’s wages on the black market. Although cultural and economic factors help explain the rarity of mass shootings in Latin America, they may not be enough to account for the dramatic disparity with the United States. Indeed, although guns are prevalent in Latin America, the more relevant question is how difficult it is to acquire them for the small number of people at risk of committing acts of indiscriminate violence. Many, if not most, of the mass shooters who bought guns legally in the United States would not have been able to do so legally in Latin America. Some, for example, would have failed the psychological tests that are required in Argentina, Brazil and Chile; others would have lacked the confidence and knowledge to make the trip to Mexico’s only gun store. The formidable obstacles that Latin American countries put up to buy weapons legally are unheard of in the United States.

Although it has been exported globally, the American archetype of the one-man army, the stoic who is willing to sacrifice everything to combat a perceived social or institutional evil, may not carry the same weight in other cultures. A troubled Mexican man, for example, may feel little affinity for the morals and methods of Rambo, Dirty Harry, Travis Bickle, Jack Reacher, Punisher, Joker, etc., lonely white Americans with little or no spiritual conflict. or restrictions related to kinship. Of course, even the most prominent role models for many mass shooters are former mass shooters. And each new mass murder increases the chances that one or more of the group of extreme antisocial misfits will find a martyr with whom they can identify. One last notable dynamic that may minimize mass shootings in Latin America and other developing regions of the world. it’s poverty. In the United States, more would-be mass shooters have access not only to weapons, but also to information technology (phones, computers, and the Internet) that allows them to validate their dark musings and even plan their attacks. In many developing countries, by contrast, these resources are not as readily available. These economic factors, along with denser social networks and a dearth of mental health professionals to trust, increase the chances that people who have a strong communal or family incentive to avoid it might uncover a plot. Perhaps most importantly, many poor Latin Americans cannot afford to buy guns, whose price on the black market can often exceed a month’s wages. Although cultural and economic factors help explain the rarity of mass shootings in Latin America, they may not be enough to account for the drama. ca disparity with the United States. Indeed, although guns are prevalent in Latin America, the more relevant question is how difficult it is to acquire them for the small number of people at risk of committing acts of indiscriminate violence. Many if not most of the mass shooters who bought guns legally in the United States would not have been able to do so legally in Latin America. Some, for example, would have failed the psychological tests that are required in Argentina, Brazil and Chile; others would have lacked the confidence and knowledge to make the trip to Mexico’s only gun store. The formidable obstacles that Latin American countries put up to buy weapons legally are unheard of in the United States.

A final noteworthy dynamic that may minimize mass shootings in Latin America and other developing regions of the world is poverty. In the United States, more potential mass shooters have access not only to weapons, but also to information technology (phones, computers, and the Internet) that allow them to validate their dark musings and even plan their attacks. In many developing countries, by contrast, these resources are not as readily available. These economic factors, along with denser social networks and a dearth of mental health professionals to trust, increase the chances that people who have a strong communal or family incentive to avoid it might uncover a plot. Perhaps most importantly, many poor Latin Americans cannot afford to buy guns, whose price on the black market can often exceed a month’s wages.

Although cultural and economic factors help explain the rarity of mass shootings in Latin America, they may not be enough to explain the dramatic disparity with the United States. Indeed, although guns are prevalent in Latin America, the more relevant question is how difficult it is to acquire them for the small number of people at risk of committing acts of indiscriminate violence. Many, if not most, of the mass shooters who bought guns legally in the United States would not have been able to do so legally in Latin America. Some, for example, would have failed the psychological tests that are required in Argentina, Brazil and Chile; others would have lacked the confidence and knowledge to make the trip to Mexico’s only gun store. The formidable obstacles that Latin American countries put up to buy weapons legally are unheard of in the United States.

Of course, given the availability of illegal weapons in many Latin American countries, it may seem that people consumed by mass homicidal urges will surely find a way to get their hands on one. To give an idea of ​​the ubiquity of guns in Brazil, consider that a national buyback effort to reduce gun violence in Brazil launched in 2005 obtained more than a million guns. But as criminologist Adam Lankford has suggested, many mass shooters may lack the personal temperament, social skills, and connections necessary to buy guns from illegal dealers or establish trust with traceable gun dealers. Those obstacles can be particularly formidable in countries where economic classes are spatially and socially segregated and where high-capacity firearms often remain in the hands of ruthless gangs.

This may interest you :
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams…

Targeted Reform

Both common sense and international comparisons indicate that the most effective way to reduce mass shootings in the United States would be to drastically limit the number of guns in circulation overall, an approach that has proven politically impossible in Washington. But as the comparison with Latin America shows, this does not have to be the end of the story.

First, the prevalence of guns alone does not explain America’s exceptionalism in mass shootings. Cultural evidence points to other types of remedies that may, in the long run, prevent would-be killers from moving forward. As Latin American societies demonstrate, people living in communities infested with violence and weapons may experience trauma, mental illness, personal failure, and harassment, and yet rarely seek redress for the lives of innocents. Americans should seek to discover and adopt specific practices that emulate Latin American approaches to helping troubled misfits or social failures feel supported, valued, included, and productive.

Perhaps most importantly, Latin American countries provide strong evidence that restricting who can buy guns can go a long way toward preventing lone-wolf mass shootings, even in societies where guns proliferate. And such specific limits may be politically feasible in some US state legislatures, given that half of Americans, including half of gun owners, support mental health screening for all gun purchases, and an even larger majority of Americans, 68 percent, support such tests. for the purchase of at least some types of firearms, such as semi-automatic or automatic.

Given the far-reaching political challenges of changing the gun culture in the United States, the prospect of significantly limiting the number of guns in circulation may seem impossible in the short term. But by improving social and emotional support for those most at risk, and by making it more difficult for vicious and dangerous people to buy weapons that can be used for mass violence, the United States could erect far more effective barriers against mass shootings.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *