In America, it's not unusual for people to have a gun. Almost every adult can own or carry one. It is seen as a person's basic right to be allowed to do this.
That's because when the country was founded, the right to buy and carry a gun was written into the constitution , which is a list of basic rules that a country is based on. The only reasons that someone might not be allowed to have a gun would be if they are a convicted criminal, have a mental health illness or if they are not a US citizen.
These rules have been in place since , so buying and owning a gun is something that American people have been allowed to do for a very long time. However, rules on gun ownership do vary between different US states and there are special laws to prevent people from having guns in certain places like in - or near - schools.
In some states, the rules are less strict than in others. For example, in the state of Nevada, people do not have to tell anyone that they own a gun. There are also different rules for which different types of guns people are allowed to own and - again - these vary from state to state. When incidents happen in the US, you might have questions like, how was the person responsible for the incident able to have a gun to do this?
Is it possible for someone to do the same thing in the UK? The rules are very different in the UK. In fact, the UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. In order to own a gun in the UK, a person needs to have a special certificate called a licence, which is issued by the police.
You need one of these to buy ammunition too. Certain guns are completely against the law, and you could not buy or own them unless you had special permission from the government. The main difference between the rules in the US and in the UK is that people in the UK do not have a fundamental right to have a gun.
A person has to have a very good reason to have one - and the police have to agree with it. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U. Four-in-ten U. There are differences in gun ownership rates by political party affiliation, gender, geography and other factors. Federal data suggests that gun sales have risen in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
The largest comparative percentage point difference occurred in July — when about 3. Personal protection tops the list of reasons why gun owners say they own a firearm. In a Gallup survey conducted in August , gun owners were most likely to cite personal safety or protection as the reason they own a firearm. Attitudes about gun violence differ widely by race, ethnicity, party and community type.
Due to sample size limitations, data for Asian Americans is not available. Current opinions are in line with what they were in March Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, views have shifted.
Both years, roughly half of Republicans said current gun laws were about right. Americans are divided over whether restricting legal gun ownership would lead to fewer mass shootings. But Americans are split over whether legal changes would lead to fewer mass shootings, according to the same spring poll.
The public is even more divided about the effects of gun ownership on crime overall. There is broad partisan agreement on some gun policy proposals, but most are politically divisive, the April survey found.
Majorities in both parties also oppose allowing people to carry concealed firearms without a permit. Glock semi-automatic pistols are displayed for sale at Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, California, U. Americans aren't necessarily more violent than other cultures - but their disputes are more likely to turn deadly, expert say.
University of Iowa criminology professor Mark Berg found the rates of assault in the United States are similar to other countries, but homicide rates are higher due to the prevalence of guns. Firearms were a factor in 39, U. Suicides account for six out of 10 gun deaths.
Gun rights are one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Supporters see firearms as an important tool for self-defense, target shooting and hunting, as well as a powerful symbol of individual rights. Critics say America's permissive approach leads to tens of thousands of deaths each year.
High-profile mass shootings have increased public pressure to tighten regulations. One reason: Small, rural states where gun ownership is widespread have disproportionate influence in the U. Senate, where a supermajority of 60 votes is needed to advance most legislation in the seat chamber. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed legislation expanding background checks last month, but it faces long odds in the Senate, which is split between the two parties. With Congress deadlocked, presidents have acted on their own.
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