A map in The Washington Postlast week helped to explain the continuing surge of mass shootings in the U.S. According to the Post, the frequency of killings “is closely tied with America's very high rate of gun ownership.” According to a 2007 Small Arms Survey, the U.S. has an average of 88 guns per 100 people. That means the US has gun ownership rates far above any other country in the world.
The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, yet it's home to as many as half of the civilian-owned guns on planet Earth. While some countries have more gun-related death than the U.S., they’re countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Swaziland—countries that aren’t comparable to the U.S. in terms of development and quality of life.
The takeaway? In rich countries, keeping gun ownership levels low seems to be an effective way to lower gun deaths.