Why do we have guns? I mean that as a serious question, why do we provide guns to people, under the pretense of “self-defense”? In the book, Give a Boy a Gun, there are plenty of interesting statistics about guns, death by guns etc. “Each day people wielding guns kill 64 people, rape 33 women, rob 575 people, and assault 1,100 more.” That’s a total of 1,772 people per day being threatened with death by a gun. Really, “self-defense” is what we really use guns for? I am inclined to disagree. “A gun kept in the home is forty-three times more likely to kill someone you know than to kill a stranger in self-defense.”

“Approximately 750,000 deaths by firearms have occurred in this country since 1960.” Deaths in America are more caused by firearms than any other kind of death. The Second Amendment of the Constitution gives us the right to bear arms, but again, most deaths are occurred by firearms in America, and to me it seems that we are using that right, in the completely wrong way. Sometimes we buy guns as a safety precaution against threats, but how often is that gun used, and how often for the right reason? More often than not, guns are used for school killings and suicides. “More American children are killed by firearms than by all natural causes combined.”

“In 1996, handguns alone killed 15 people in Japan, 30 in Great Britain, 106 in Canada, and 9,390 in the United States.” Looking at others countries we see almost little to no deaths, little to no deaths, then we take a look at America, and the numbers soar close to 10,000. Where are we going wrong as Americans? Why can’t we learn from our foreign friends and neighbors and combat bullying, suicide, and promote proper gun usage? I believe it is because our government has little care for the affairs of kids, of the future generation. I believe our government is too worried about making a profit, gaining money and using it for selfish purposes. Our government gives zero thought about the future, and still yet, the death toll of America rises evermore. “After a school shooting in Canada, the Canadian government spent $1 million to expand programs to combat bullying in schools and to help students before they get into trouble.”

“Nationwide in 1996 more than six thousand students were expelled for bringing guns to school.” After thoroughly reading Give a Boy a Gun, I am starting to see the overall picture that Todd Strasser, the author, is trying to paint. The statistics are interesting, but the story itself is the picture. How many times have we, meaning students around the world but specifically America, seen someone getting bullied or pushed around, used or taken advantage of? How often is it that the ones being the bully are jocks or the “cool” kids? I can guarantee you, almost 100% sure, that we’ve all seen something like that. Going to school every day to face the same torment every day, is the ultimate punishment for students. After a long period of time, it begins to degrade the person into a hate-filled bomb, just casually ticking away, and each torment cuts that time shorter, until one day, they just explode. “According to federal estimates, there are about 280 million people and 240 million guns in America.”

“The presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide fivefold.” Let’s say your parents give you a gun for a present. You learn to shoot it, learn how to handle it and clean it, and how to properly use a gun. Now, it’s been years since you’ve handled that same gun, but now you’re going through a particularly hard time in life. For a moment, just a glimpse, you think of that gun, and how it easy it would be to put a bullet through your skull. A moment later you shrug it off, but the thought of suicide lingers in your mind ever after. “In 1996, 2,866 children and teenagers were murdered with guns, 1,309 committed suicide with guns, and 468 died in unintentional shootings. A total 4,643 young people were killed by firearms.”

“The…cliques that rule American high schools are every bit as murderous as Harris and Klebold, only their damage is done in slow motion, over a period of many years, and fails to draw the attention of parents or teachers.” School is never exactly peer friendly, every time a teacher turns his or her back on you, something happens. It could be even the slightest nudge or remark that can cut through you heart and soul in less than a second, and an adult would never know about it. A school that is peer friendly and bully free is hard to come by, because quite frankly, they are everywhere. “I went to three [high schools], and in none of [them] did I for a moment feel safe. High school was terrifying, and it was the casual cruelty of the popular kids that made it hell.”

“In 1995 alone, 35,957 Americans were killed by firearms in homicides, suicides, and accidents. In comparison, during the three years of the Korean War, 33,651 Americans were killed. During nearly eight years if the war in Vietnam, 58,148 Americans were killed.” Death by firearms, accidental or not, are at the top ten reasons of death. Each year, we sell more guns for profit, and each year, the numbers just keep growing. It seems that money is now overshadowing the value of life in America. I have only one thing to say: Why aren’t we doing anything, why aren’t we taking action and giving America a brighter future. “Time and time again, the gun industry has injected into the civilian market new guns that are specifically designed to be better at killing.”

All statistics and qoutes are from the book Give A Boy a Gun.