the US gun culture

The Brady Campaign to prevent gun violence (2010)

Definition:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are affiliated American nonprofit organizations that advocate for gun control and against gun violence. Together, they are commonly referred to as the Brady Campaign. They are named after James "Jim" Brady, who was permanently disabled as a result of the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt of 1981, and Sarah Brady, who was a leader within the organization from 1989 until 2012.

The Brady Campaign was founded in 1974 as the National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH). From 1980 through 2000 it operated under the name Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI). In 2001, it was renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and its sister project, the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, was renamed the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Campaign)

We can see on this poster the colours of the gun. They are the colours of American flag, so it means that America is identified with gun crime. This problem is that many people are killed each year by guns and according to this poster just in developed countries: 17 in Finland, 35 in Australia, 39 in England, 60 in Spain, 194 in Germany. But it's nothing compared to the United States which has 9,484 victims so it’s disproportionately high. 

The Brady Campaign wants to show the dangerousness of guns. America is one of the countries where guns are approved and anybody can have a gun at home. Of course guns can be for protection but  they can also be used in bad hands and people can be killed because of revenge for example.

In 2010, when this poster was created, guns where legal in America and it's also the case nowadays. The poster's logo in the bottom left corner is "sensible gun laws save lives" and this quote wants to prove that gun users are a danger for everybody in America. This slogan wants to talk about legal restrictions.

So to conclude, we can note thanks to this poster that America has a lot of gun murders during just 1 year, so that is not acceptable.

2010 graphs

Definition:

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic (composite index) of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. A country scores higher HDI when the lifespan is higher, the education level is higher, and the GDP per capita is higher. The HDI was developed by Pakistani economist, Mahbub ul Haq, for the UNDP.

The 2010 Human Development Report introduced an Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). While the simple HDI remains useful, it stated that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (accounting for inequality)", and "the HDI can be viewed as an index of 'potential' human development (or the maximum IHDI that could be achieved if there were no inequality)": (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index)

These graphs by UNODC shows the number of people killed in developing countries and in developed countries. Between 2004 and 2010, in developing countries, a lot of people were killed like in Honduras (+ or - 70 per 100,000) but the United States are behind with less than 5. Whereas in comparison with other developed countries which have less than 1, the USA has 3,2 death per 100,000 people, which is very high.

 The second graph shows us that the USA is much too dangerous for a developed and peaceful country. Even if this country isn't as bad as many developing countries, it remains the most dangerous developed country. That can demonstrate the responsibility of everybody on this subject.

So these graphs confirm what we said about the poster but in addition we have the numbers in 2 types of countries and listed in Human Development Index order. 

Gun Lobby and congress (2010) & Second Amendment and NRA (2013)

Definition: 

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms and was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the first ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights.The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the right belongs to individuals, while also ruling that the right is not unlimited and does not prohibit all regulation of either firearms or similar devices. State and local governments are limited to the same extent as the federal government from infringing this right per the incorporation of the Bill of Rights: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) 

Definition:

The Founding Fathers of the United States were those of the Thirteen Colonies in North America who led the American Revolution against the Kingdom of Great Britain and contributed to the establishment of the United States of America: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States)

Definition: 

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights. Founded in 1871, the group has informed its members about firearm-related bills since 1934, and it has directly lobbied for and against legislation since 1975. It also claims to be the oldest continuously operating civil rights organization in the United States. Founded to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA continues to teach firearm competency and safety. It instructs civilians and law enforcement, youths and adults, in various programs. The organization also publishes several magazines and sponsors competitive marksmanship events. Membership surpassed 5 million in May 2013: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association)

The cartoon “gun Lobby and Congress” by Steve Sack is clearly a political cartoon created in 2010. At first sight our attention is drawn by the blood on the floor. The capitol in the second plane represents Washington DC, Home of the United States congress. We can notice two men who are talking: a NRA man and a congress man. The NRA man gives some money to the congress man. His intention is to request the congress man to put a new law against gun control and the congress man accepts with a smile. 

So we can clearly imagine that the blood on the floor is here because of his agreement, so the congress man accepts people’s death too.

The NRA man says “now, where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted”. He says that because he knows that many people are against what he does so he tries to do it quickly.

So to conclude, this cartoon is a critique about the capitol which is corrupted. 

The other cartoon by Dave Grandlund is “Second Amendment and NRA” created in 2013.  At the left of the cartoon, we can see a statue of an American pioneer who represents the past. He has a gun to fight enemies and protect his country. Whereas on the right, we have a NRA man who is in the present and who just thinks of violence. 
He represents the obsession for guns because he has a lot of guns and a stack of ammunition. Whereas the other is represented as a hero.

So this cartoon shows that American people’s perception about guns and the second amendment has changed. It’s not just about security but because they are obsessed by guns.