Corridor of the West: Violent Crime Sees Americans Suffer the Consequences of Their Actions

In terms of science, its military and its economy, the U.S. is the most developed country in the world. The standard of living Americans enjoy is also among the best in the world. Since World War II, the U.S. has believed itself to be a democratic nation and has attempted to implement American-style democracy in the rest of the world. Unexpectedly, however, the U.S. also has the worst problems with violent crime. Travelers to the U.S. are not the only ones lacking protection — the lives, property and safety of ordinary Americans are also under shocking levels of threat. It is amazing that even as Washington, D.C. faces 4.3 million cases of violent crime and 15.6 million cases of property-related crime on a yearly basis, it still wishes to portray itself as most devoted to human rights and the safest country in the world.

Every year, a fifth of the American population finds himself or herself the target of some crime or another, and the possibility of being attacked is the highest in the world. In St. Louis County there is an average of over 2,000 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people; this has been hailed as the most dangerous place on the globe. From March 29 to April 4 in 2010, 25 murders occurred in Los Angeles County. The murder rate in New York City is also very high and sees dramatic double-digit growth on an annual basis. The U.S. has the highest rate of private gun ownership in the world, with two guns for every three people and 12,000 gun-related deaths every year. Such violent crime has already cost the lives of numerous Americans.

Armed criminals are like a time bomb

In the U.S. at least 30,000 people die each year as the result of shootings — equivalent to half the number of American casualties in the Vietnam War. Why do Americans have such an interest in buying guns? The reason is that they buy guns because they do not feel secure; but, having bought the guns, no improvement in security can be observed. Because of the ease with which guns can be purchased in the country, it follows that a large number of these guns are in the hands of undesirable characters with criminal records, each one of them a time bomb waiting to go off. Guns in the hands of adolescents and radical youths also add to the rate of criminal shootings. Despite the many regular Americans who are keen to see greater gun control, no progress has been made beyond the endless debates in Congress. The gun crime that threatens the security of ordinary Americans has become a Gordian knot.

In 2007, 32 lives were lost in the 15-minute shooting at Virginia Tech. After the horrific incident, the U.S. Congress had no option but to go through long discussions about the possibility of tighter gun control. In the end, no headway was made, as many representatives pointed to the “right to bear arms” amendment in the Constitution. The loss of innocent lives was unable to rouse the U.S. Congress from its indifference, illustrating the inability of American democracy to safeguard its own people. Obama has declared his belief in maintaining the “individual right to bear arms” for the sake of winning over the arms industry; Hillary Clinton has also stated that she has enjoyed hunting and completely approves of the right to bear arms.

Supreme Court ruling perpetuates a vicious circle

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the individual right to bear arms as stipulated in the Constitution; as such, violent crime continues to occur. From 2008 to 2009, the number of Americans purchasing guns increased by 2.5 million. Because judges have ruled in favor of concealed carry in bars, 10,000 people enter bars with handguns every day in the state of Tennessee alone. Additionally, Texas is about to pass a new bill that would allow teachers and students to carry guns on college campuses. The American media estimates that this bill being passed would see 10,000 gun-carrying teachers and students onto campuses. The ridiculous ruling by the Supreme Court has inevitably led the battle to ensure the safety of the American public into a vicious circle.

Take a look at the American media coverage of the shootings that occurred last year — it grants the world some insight into the situation of American security and human rights. In March of last year, five men perpetrated a drive-by shooting in Washington, D.C., resulting in the deaths of four and the injury of five. In Chicago in April, six shootings occurred in the space of a day, wounding 16, of whom two were severely wounded. In Chicago in May, more shootings occurred, resulting in 21 people being injured. June once again saw 52 people shot in the space of a week in Chicago. July saw 303 people shot in Chicago, with 33 killed. In November, shootings in Oakland resulted in four deaths and an additional five injuries.