Firearms News’ Post

That is a complex question. However, back then, most male Americans had veterans in their primary family. They learned proper firearm safety at home. It made firearms in the home as safe as firearms in the Army.

There are many factors including mental health, increased idea sharing and attention on the subject making it appealing to those that have the inclination towards violence. There are many other theories but one I haven't heard before is pure statistics. There were 3 billion people back in 1960 and there are 7.5 billion people today. So, if there were no other factors then you would expect a 150% increase in mass shootings since the 1960's. With that said, does anyone know where to find the numbers so we can compare it to this trend and see if it matches? I'd like to see if the issues everyone talks about are worth merit or if we are making things up in our heads to justify this. We can also localize this to just the USA. In 1960 there were 179,323,175 people in the us compared to today where we are at 341,261,297 people which makes a 90.31% increase. Well, in case anyone was wondering, I just looked it up before posting. In the 60's mass shootings were around 2-4 per year and in 2022 it was around 20ish. This puts the increase around 566% increase. Way higher than regular statistics should indicate. Other than the obvious cultural changes between the 60's and today I wonder if there is an exponential phenomenon going on here.

Not that I'm against owning guns but maybe couldn't buy AK 47s??

I think a lot of it has to do with the types of guns available to the public back then. There were not many machine guns (or rapid fire weapons) offered. We also were taught to respect authority and other people as a matter of course. I personally, was more afraid of my Mother than the police! I also had a brother in the Boy Scouts who had a rifle that had to be taken apart and put away when he came home from his trip to the shooting range. We were taught to respect the weapons as well!

Since I grew up in the 60s, I'd say one reason was the firepower of available weapons was lower than now. Most handgun purchased were 6-shot revolvers or single stack semiautomatics with 7 to 9 round magazines; AR-15s and AK-47s were not available and hunting rifles were limited to 5 rounds in most states, most were bolt-action. Also, in the 60s, people with severe mental problems were still being institutionalized and/or treated with new and powerful antipsychotics. Population growth is another factor. In 2023, the US population was estimated to be 334,233,854, while in 1960 it was 179,323,175. Fewer people, fewer firearms, fewer mass shootings.

There’s a lot of discussion about mental health here being the cause of more firearm issues. Question: Have mental health issues increased alongside advancements in technology? If you were to compare a graph of mental health cases over time with a graph of technological advancements, would there be noticeable parallels? Consider this: we incarcerate individuals for committing crimes, confining them to cells with little more than their thoughts—perhaps a radio or TV for distraction. Yet today, children are voluntarily isolating themselves in their rooms, often sitting in the dark with just a TV, video game, or phone for company. Individuals who spend significant time in prison frequently develop mental health issues. Why would we expect children who mirror similar behaviors—prolonged isolation and limited interaction—to experience different outcomes? It’s something to think about. Let me know if you’d like further refinement!

Mental Health!!! We as a country don’t want admit it. The firearm is only ever GOING to be capable of three things. 1.) discharge 2.) malfunction 3.) rust that’s it, no firearm could ever do more than that. It’s the person behind the firearm.

Some years ago, I was in the archives section of our local public library poring over 1880’s era newspapers on microfilm. I was researching an historical event of local interest. I came across a news report of a man walks into a church in Missouri. During the sermon, he stands up, opens his overcoat, and starts firing into the congregation. Four lay dead and several wounded before he ran out of bullets and was subdued. The report read like it was straight out of today’s headlines.

We used to raise our children to become adults - by age 18.

Shift in culture… little drugs use, less chemicals in our food and no Corporate America job insecurity stress (they were ashamed to walk in public knowing the looks they receive from everyone). The list goes on….