THE US GUN CULTURE

          The issue of gun policies in the United States have always been a highly debated topic because of the devastating consequences firearms can bring to a population. Therefore, many organisations and lobbies push for change, banning civil use of guns. As an example, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Centre to Prevent Gun Violence are affiliated American nonprofit organisations that advocate for gun control and against gun violence. Together, they are commonly referred to as the Brady Campaign. They are named after James Brady (White House Press Secretary), who was permanently disabled as a result of the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt of 1981, and Sarah Brady, who was a leader within the organisation from 1989 until 2012. 
Indeed, this organisation released in 2010 an eye-catching poster aimed to raise awareness of the mass violence in the country. The image presents a comparison between the number of people guns murdered in one year. Ranging from the lowest amount "17 people in Finland" to "9 484" in the United States. It is clear that the US has a problem concerning guns. Therefore, the author of the poster decided to add an ironic and critical slogan : "God Bless America". This slogan written in big and bold is used to expose a contrast between reality of things and America's ideologies, beliefs. Many US citizens, 70.6 % to be exact self identify themselves as Christians. However, the document shows that the United States clearly has a gun violence issue which is the paradox the document clearly wants to show by saying "God Bless". As well, the image of the gun covered in the Stars and Stripes flag reduces the country to a negative image of crime and hatred. 


   
           However these charts, provide a more global contrasting scale and point of view of gun murder issues in countries. The document, from the United Nations Office of drug and crime, indicates that on the one side the United States fall quite behind on may other countries in the world. It has the 26th position after places like Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Brazil, keeping in mind that the latest data from each country ranges from 2004 to 2010 . But, on the other hand, the following diagram shows the United States have the worst situation of gun murder cases in the most developed countries. Indeed, the US (3,2) have a large difference of gun violence compared to other countries such as England (0.1) and Japan (0). This document, opposing developing and developed countries measured by The Human Development Index (HDI) which is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. It has to be said that this document suggests that the United States can be considered as a third-world country when it comes to gun murder because it ranks next to countries like Jamaica, Colombia and Guatemala on the topic of gun murder. 

Steve SACK, on www.startribune.com,

Gun Lobby and Congress (2010) (Bottom)

Dave GRANDLUND, on www.davegranlund.com, 

Second Amendment and NRA (2013) (Top)

          These two cartoons, by different illustrators have a critical vision of gun lobbying and it's relation to law. Firstly, the top cartoon by Dave Grundland in 2013, shows a symmetrical image of two men standing like statues. To the left, the man dates back from the 18th century during the time of the creation of the Unites States and it's constitution. He has a rifle and a war outfit of the era whilst standing on a pillar. Next to him, there is writing saying : " Second Amendment as defined by the Founding Fathers". To the right, there is another man, but this time he come from our time. His look is therefore different. Th man is standing on five boxes of ammo covered in 3 rifles, guns and has the typical American red-neck look. Next to him, there is writing saying " Second Amendment as defined by the NRA". The Second Amendment 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. Indeed, Dave Grundland believes that the Founding Father's view of Gun rights were different from nowadays, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) point of view. 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. Historian Richard B. Morris in 1973 identified the following seven figures as the key Founding Fathers: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington (1st President of the USA). At their time, the right to owning a personal firearm was justified in the context of war and revolution as observed in the image of the soldier dresses for battle. However, on the other hand, the cartoon suggests that the NRA, an American nonprofit organisation that advocates for gun rights, defines the second amendment in an entire different way. The image of the American citizen covered in rifles shows that this organisation  advocates for a world of violence and crime. 

          Secondly, the other cartoon by Steve Sack, released in 2010, criticises the corruption between gun lobbies and the American Congress and the fact that gun lobbies are too powerful and rich. In the background, the picture shows the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C smeared in blood dripping from the stairs suggesting the massive amount of blood shed due to gun crime and violence in the US. On the bottom left of the cartoon, two men (a gun lobbyist and a congressman) are conversing and handling money but seem to be interrupted by something as the writing indicates : "Now, where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted". Indeed, the National Rifle Association donates millions of dollars every year to Republican lawmakers in Congress. And those same Republicans line up uniformly to block proposed gun control legislation. The implication of these two facts appears obvious: Politicians are refusing to stem the bloodshed of gun violence because they’re getting what amounts to a legal bribe from lobbyists. But, gun control and organisations advocating against firearms being used on a personal basis are trying making a stand more and more to stop all these mass shootings and gun violence in the United States. These movements against gun rights are what are "rudely interrupting" corruption and bribery between the NRA and Congress.