The business of guns
This morning I listened for the second time to a Ted Talk by Dr. Dr. Samantha Nutt entitled “The real harm of the global arms trade” which was filmed in November 2015. After graduating from medical school Dr. Nutt volunteered to serve with UNICEF in war-torn Somalia. If one listened to her Ted Talk and better yet, if one watches the Ted Talk. one will see the very articulate, attractive woman who is passionately committed to her calling as a physician. I use the word calling because the word physician originally meant healer. Individuals enter the field of medicine for many reasons, but I choose to believe that most enter it, not to drive an expensive car as might seem the case if one views the doctors parking space at many hospitals in the United States, but because they believe that together we can help each other heal and evolve to live in harmony with the rest of creation.
Dr. Nutt is particularly interested in how people, including many children are affecting and affected by war throughout the world. Often, in addition to such gruesome methods of killing, guns of various sizes and designed are often the weapons of choice for killing. Sadly, many of the guns which the United States sells or gives to people in war zones eventually end up in the hands of those we label as the enemy. Sometimes the “enemy” is a young child who now has the use of a gun. If one is a gun manufacturer this is good news because it means more guns will be needed to supply those whom our politicians decide are going to serve the interests of the United States and/or its allies/friends.
Dr. Nutt’s research tells her:
“Now, let's look at the countries that are the world's top 20 exporters of small arms in the world. And what do we notice? Well, you see them in green. You will notice that those are mostly countries in the Global North, primarily Western countries. What does this tell us? This tells us that most of the people who are dying in war are living in poor countries, and yet most of the people who are profiting from war are living in rich countries -- people like you and me.”
If one googles atf.com one will find the following statistics from 2013, the last year that data was compiled and published:
“The data in the 2015 report shows an estimated increase in firearms manufacturing in the U.S. of more than 100 percent within a four-year period. In 2010, more than 5.4 million firearms were manufactured. That number climbed to more than 10.8 million in 2013. The most recent available firearm manufacturing statistics are through calendar year 2013.
Pistols make up the bulk of the firearms manufactured, with 4.4 million produced in 2013. That is an increase of more than one million pistols produced compared to the previous year. The number of rifles manufactured also increased from 3.1 million in 2012 to 3.9 million in 2013.
Updated firearms import and export data is also included in the report. Import data is updated through calendar year 2014. In calendar year 2014 more than 3.6 million firearms were imported into the United States; 2.1 million of those firearms were handguns. In calendar year 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, the U.S. exported more than 393,000 firearms.”
A lot of the guns manufactured in the United States are staying in the United States. The above information tells us we are also importing a number of guns. (Please note I am not talking about all the other weapons manufactured in or imported into the United States.) Yet further research indicates that the number of household possessing or purchasing guns in the United States is decreasing. The number of weapons per capital is, however, increasing which tells us that, of those we can track, many of the of the people owning guns are purchasing additional guns. In the United States the most recent statistics I could locate was indicated there are 88 guns per person in the United States. The total handguns manufactured in the United States has increase from 662, 973 in 1986 to 4,441,726. (This only includes pistols, revolvers, rifle, and shotguns, but not other weapons). We are not the only country manufacturing guns but we are the largest. Most gun manufactures are in Western countries.
The reasons that people purchase guns are as varied as the guns themselves. These reasons may include:
Although I know many people who own handguns, none of the persons I know, to the best of my knowledge have every shot at or harmed another person with one of these weapons.
The ability to manufacture guns has increased exponentially over the years. I recently read that there are many small gun manufactures in states such as Texas and Florida who can order all the parts they need and merely have to assemble the weapons.
cnbc.com reports that in the year 2013:
Annual revenue of gun and ammunition manufacturing industry with a $1.5 billion profit - $13.5 billion.
Annual revenue of gun and ammunition stores, with a $478.4 million profit - $3.1 billion.
This is just what can be tracked. The important questions all of us may want to consider are:
Obviously these questions also force one to examine many other related questions about the moral values associated with protection of family and community, the sanity of life, whether the concept of just wars makes sense long term, the price of interpreting the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution as the right to manufacture, sell, and maintain private arsenals, and others.
I believe we need to create a forum for addressing these issues - a forum which is respectful of the varied opinions, many of which may involve very passionate emotions.
Written August 16, 2016
The business of guns
This morning I listened for the second time to a Ted Talk by Dr. Dr. Samantha Nutt entitled “The real harm of the global arms trade” which was filmed in November 2015. After graduating from medical school Dr. Nutt volunteered to serve with UNICEF in war-torn Somalia. If one listened to her Ted Talk and better yet, if one watches the Ted Talk. one will see the very articulate, attractive woman who is passionately committed to her calling as a physician. I use the word calling because the word physician originally meant healer. Individuals enter the field of medicine for many reasons, but I choose to believe that most enter it, not to drive an expensive car as might seem the case if one views the doctors parking space at many hospitals in the United States, but because they believe that together we can help each other heal and evolve to live in harmony with the rest of creation.
Dr. Nutt is particularly interested in how people, including many children are affecting and affected by war throughout the world. Often, in addition to such gruesome methods of killing, guns of various sizes and designed are often the weapons of choice for killing. Sadly, many of the guns which the United States sells or gives to people in war zones eventually end up in the hands of those we label as the enemy. Sometimes the “enemy” is a young child who now has the use of a gun. If one is a gun manufacturer this is good news because it means more guns will be needed to supply those whom our politicians decide are going to serve the interests of the United States and/or its allies/friends.
Dr. Nutt’s research tells her:
“Now, let's look at the countries that are the world's top 20 exporters of small arms in the world. And what do we notice? Well, you see them in green. You will notice that those are mostly countries in the Global North, primarily Western countries. What does this tell us? This tells us that most of the people who are dying in war are living in poor countries, and yet most of the people who are profiting from war are living in rich countries -- people like you and me.”
If one googles atf.com one will find the following statistics from 2013, the last year that data was compiled and published:
“The data in the 2015 report shows an estimated increase in firearms manufacturing in the U.S. of more than 100 percent within a four-year period. In 2010, more than 5.4 million firearms were manufactured. That number climbed to more than 10.8 million in 2013. The most recent available firearm manufacturing statistics are through calendar year 2013.
Pistols make up the bulk of the firearms manufactured, with 4.4 million produced in 2013. That is an increase of more than one million pistols produced compared to the previous year. The number of rifles manufactured also increased from 3.1 million in 2012 to 3.9 million in 2013.
Updated firearms import and export data is also included in the report. Import data is updated through calendar year 2014. In calendar year 2014 more than 3.6 million firearms were imported into the United States; 2.1 million of those firearms were handguns. In calendar year 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, the U.S. exported more than 393,000 firearms.”
A lot of the guns manufactured in the United States are staying in the United States. The above information tells us we are also importing a number of guns. (Please note I am not talking about all the other weapons manufactured in or imported into the United States.) Yet further research indicates that the number of household possessing or purchasing guns in the United States is decreasing. The number of weapons per capital is, however, increasing which tells us that, of those we can track, many of the of the people owning guns are purchasing additional guns. In the United States the most recent statistics I could locate was indicated there are 88 guns per person in the United States. The total handguns manufactured in the United States has increase from 662, 973 in 1986 to 4,441,726. (This only includes pistols, revolvers, rifle, and shotguns, but not other weapons). We are not the only country manufacturing guns but we are the largest. Most gun manufactures are in Western countries.
The reasons that people purchase guns are as varied as the guns themselves. These reasons may include:
- Recreation including target practice
- Defense of self and family
- Defense of self, village or other group of people.
- Hunting for for food supply
- To assert what they see as their second amendment rights.
- To add to a collection which may indicate an appreciation of design and craftsmanship.
- To resell.
- To frighten or harm others.
Although I know many people who own handguns, none of the persons I know, to the best of my knowledge have every shot at or harmed another person with one of these weapons.
The ability to manufacture guns has increased exponentially over the years. I recently read that there are many small gun manufactures in states such as Texas and Florida who can order all the parts they need and merely have to assemble the weapons.
cnbc.com reports that in the year 2013:
Annual revenue of gun and ammunition manufacturing industry with a $1.5 billion profit - $13.5 billion.
Annual revenue of gun and ammunition stores, with a $478.4 million profit - $3.1 billion.
This is just what can be tracked. The important questions all of us may want to consider are:
- Can that many guns be manufactured and kept out of the hands of those who are going to use them to rob, steal, kill, terrorize, or conduct war?
- Do we want to support industries which supply guns to those who will try to kill us?
- Is there any way to prevent guns, once manufactured and sold or given to other countries out of the hands of those who would use them to harm or take advantage of others including us?
- Should weapons be a significant source of profit for a relatively small percentage of people?
- Can a government both profit off the sale of guns as they do tobacco products and claim to be limiting the sales?
- What is the role of gun manufactures, the NRA and other gun advocates in the decisions of members of governments including the United States Congress?
- To what extent is the economy dependent on the ongoing proliferation of weapons for waging war on each other?
- Can statistics be manipulated and interpreted to support a wide range of opinions about this subject?
Obviously these questions also force one to examine many other related questions about the moral values associated with protection of family and community, the sanity of life, whether the concept of just wars makes sense long term, the price of interpreting the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution as the right to manufacture, sell, and maintain private arsenals, and others.
I believe we need to create a forum for addressing these issues - a forum which is respectful of the varied opinions, many of which may involve very passionate emotions.
Written August 16, 2016
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