A letter to the editor emphasizes the critical need for the U.S. to address its growing gun violence epidemic, citing alarming statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of past gun control measures. Author Donna Ryan references a 2019 N.I.H. study revealing that mass-shooting fatalities were 70% less likely during the time of the federal assault weapons ban, and a Senate report showing a 183% increase in gun massacres after the ban ended.
Contrasting the situation in Japan, where gun deaths are less than 1% per 100,000 people, Ryan argues that merely blaming external factors, such as medication or societal changes, oversimplifies the issue. With over 22 million firearms sold in the U.S. in 2020 and a staggering 120 guns for every 100 individuals, the letter stresses the urgent need for renewed legislation to help reduce mass shootings and restore community safety.
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