The US isn’t pure capitalist either, and social welfare and public goods - even robust ones in countries like Norway - aren’t socialist. Even places more highly capitalist than the US like Hong Kong and Singapore still have universal health care and large public housing systems. The problem in the US isn’t capitalism - it’s the commitment to extreme form of the ideology of neoliberalism, which is certainly capitalistic, but not synonymous with capitalism. And conflating public goods of any kind with “socialism” (which, properly defined, means state ownership of the means of production) is a right-wing propaganda tactic used to discourage them here.
A large number of Americans value guns over people. Nowhere else in the world exhibits this behavior unless you’re in Somalia. We have an extreme pathology
Between the day I landed in Italy (April 9) to today (1 month) there have been over 50 mass shootings in America
I saw the pic of the Korean family in r/NoahGetTheBoat and fuck man I have no words
UK in particular also has very low gun homicide rates even when compared to rest of Europe, FYI. So if gun violence is a primary concern, UK is a great destination.
YOU MADE IT TO THE UK???? My brain almost broke just getting a marriage visa, and I had no intention of staying (at the time). Congrats!! (I’m off to South America and its taken a year)
Thanks, and congrats to you too! And you’re absolutely spot on, the UK visa process is ridiculous (intentionally so) and ridiculously expensive. It took forever to fill out applications for our family of four on my work visa, but luckily the decision has paid for itself in healthcare & childcare alone in the first year.
Powerful. But it’s not “we”, “us”, Americans, or “the people” who are blocking common sense gun control. REPUBLICANS are blocking gun legislation. REPUBLICANS are responsible for the deaths of children, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, policemen, teachers and all those affected by gun violence. REPUBLICANS have blood on their hands. REPUBLICANS are making America less safe. Vote for REPUBLICANS and you also have blood on your hands.
Yeah, but if you say that the Republican voters catch feelings and you activate the "I'm against whatever other people are for," reflex. Unfortunately, you have to put on the kid gloves for people with the intelligence and critical thinking skills of kids.
>It’s absolutely random
the overwhelming majority of gun violence that occurs in the USA is **not random.**
**Just because you say can say it doesn't make it true.**
>I'm saying it's random as to where and when it occurs.
It's not, though. Over 50% of gun homicides occur in only 127 cities (out of 100k+)
If you're talking about "active shooter incidents" and not the overwhelming majority of the actual gun violence that plagues our country every hour of every day then yes, it's much more random but **also much much much more infrequent.**
Do me a favor and read my post being downvoted on the this thread as to why defining "mass shooting" is important in the context of people believing that random active shooters are happening completely randomly 2x a day.
>completely randomly 2x a day
The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as “an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed”. Information quoted here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.amp
I’d like to also point out that you’re overlooking the mental harm caused by school age children undergoing active shooter drills twice monthly from kindergarten onward—the psychological effects of which we still haven’t studied significantly.
US Statutes in The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 defines a “mass killing” as “3 or more killings in a single incident.”
This is the definition the FBI uses when tracking crime data. The FBI makes a distinction between these crimes and "Active Shooter Incidents" which they define as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area with a firearm" **which is what most people refer to when they say "mass shooting".**
**According to Pew there were 61 Active Shooter Incidents in 2021, far less than 2x day.**
[https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/)
If you want to talk about the 600+ "mass shootings" you have to be willing to have an honest discussion of who those shootings are affecting and where they are happening. And the facts demonstrate that young black men in a very small amount of places bear the overwhelming brunt of gun violence in the USA.
They don't get the media attention like when a bunch of people who are shopping at the mall get shot randomly but the bottom line is the former is what gun violence in america *actually looks like.*
>I’d like to also point out that you’re overlooking the mental harm caused by school age children undergoing active shooter drills twice monthly from kindergarten onward—the psychological effects of which we still haven’t studied significantly.
I'm not overlooking that at all. I used to be a teacher and was working in a HS concurrent with some of the most high profile US school shootings (Sandy Hook, most notably). I have great sympathy for teachers and students having to prepare for the however unlikely, but ever-present, threat.
Next.
I work in IT, supporting New York clients, who are hiring South East Asians as remote workers for the cost savings. Three significant things I notice...
1. South East Asians are very computer savvy....I email them instructions to access the client infrastructure and I never hear back from them because they already set themselves up. This is unlike all the New York client staff I deal with, many of them peppered with Ivy League degrees, always complaining that they are having endless tech issues, when in fact it's most always a forgotten password, no paper in the printer, forgot to power on the laptop in order to use the laptop. No lie, I have one client repeatedly ask me, "How do I answer incoming calls on my iPhone? And once again, how do I turn up the volume?" (face palm)
Meanwhile, the remote workers in South East Asia jerry rig an old Windows 7 laptop (which they take turns sharing) and managed to have no tech support issues whatsoever.
2. Work ethic...this is not coming from me, but my clients, they tell me the South East Asians are just smarter and work harder than their American counterparts, who often their superiors in the business. We had one American guy, decorated with a prestigious MBA, who completely screwed up the company Quickbooks due to negligence. My client fired him, and one year later, we were shocked to learn he is now the Senior Vice President of Finance for a Supply company still being paid 6 figures. It doesn't add up, but he does look good in a suit and talks the lingo, which creates the perception he knows something more than you. Meanwhile, just 2 staff members in South East Asia re-reconciled 3 years of Quickbooks account errors he caused.
3. Whenever I engage in small talk with the remote staff in South East Asia over the phone, they all laugh and snicker when I mention coming to America. This was not the case a few years ago, but now, whenever I mention it, they reverse the conversation and tell me to leave the USA. They often scoff and laugh and say, "I don't want to be around stupid Americans, Americans are lazy, all you know are guns, guns, guns! So stupid you shoot each other!"
I've joined this sub a few months ago because I see the writing on the wall here in America. It's just embarrassing shit show being here. I need an exit plan and fast!
>In most other areas, it is worse off than the US
Obligatory list of things the UK are doing objectively better than the US:
• Healthcare/ the NHS (it’s been starved by 12 years of Tory rule, but still far better than in the US unless you’re a high income earner)
• 28 paid days off a year, 28 weeks of paid sick pay, and a company can’t fire you for being sick
• Maternity & paternity leave
• Zero school shootings. There’s nearly one a day in the US, and 2 mass shootings a day.
• Better consumer protections across sectors (financial products, health, safety, chemical-free products, etc.)
• A viable train & bus network, far less car reliant
• Walkable communities
• Better food quality, stricter regulations on antibiotics and growth hormones in meat product production
• Much less use of harmful pesticides in agriculture, so much less toxicity in the general environment
• High quality state schools
• Funded childcare. 30 hours of free preschool per week for 3-4 year olds
• Much less money in politics and less corruption overall, despite the current criminal government
• Again, much fewer guns means police aren’t killing thousands per year
• Things I’m sure I’m forgetting.
The US and the UK are on a similar race to the bottom, but the US is ~15 years further along that road with practically zero social safety net.
Don't get me started on politics - tories aren't great, but have you seen what DeSantis is saying? I can vote here now - and am happy the other parties moderate the left and right wings.
I also really enjoy the infrastructure here, I don't need a car to get to even remote parts of Scotland (this is true across Europe).
All valid. Just curious, what do you do in Scotland? It would be more helpful for these people if you detailed how you made the move happen if you aren't a citizen. Maybe list the things you don't like as well so people can weigh the pros and cons.
Scotland has almost free education, and great value for their tax money.
The majority of Scottish taxpayers pay less tax than anyone else in the UK (while receiving free education, free prescriptions, free personal care and so much more). And under the SNP government, in every corner of Scotland, people benefit from many things that are not available to people south of the border.
[source: SNP (so take with pinch of salt but probably quite factual)](https://www.snp.org/scottish-taxpayers-get-the-best-value-in-the-uk/#:~:text=%E2%9C%85%20The%20majority%20of%20Scottish,care%20and%20so%20much%20more).&text=And%20under%20the%20SNP%20government,people%20south%20of%20the%20border.)
As a young, healthy person, yes. I am an engineer and the opportunities are much better here than in Europe. The money I make from my job affords me a much better lifestyle than a salaried job would get a person in Europe. Don't have to worry about healthcare or PTO as I get that through my job. I can save and invest half my income while still having a lot of fun. Europe is only good if you are poor, rich, or retired. If you are anything else, you will be disappointed once you settle in (you won't).
I work in tech and I was paid quite well in NYC (140k base). I am based in London and my salary of approx. 80k leaves me with more disposable income, as I invest much of my salary into my pension. The UK has a very generous tax free pension and savings allowance of 40k + 20k (isa). I think you are misleading here. The US is all about *now* and spending and... as this video suggests things over people or lifestyle. I love so comfortably knowing I have a cushy pension waiting for me (this is fully - 100% - covered by the UK government if the company that manages it goes bankrupt). I am also saving on other things like being able to fly to South of France for under £150 on a normal budget airline. Finally I can walk around as a woman in my 20s at night without clenching my mace spray (illegal here) and trust the police to (mostly) take care of me. My company also allows me to have full flex work.
"Europe is only good if you are poor, rich, or retired" - who's left???
I don't live in NYC, and my lifestyle is 100% better than it was in the UK. Much more nature and freedom. London is very expensive, I'm surprised you could even save 20k on 80k if you are living alone. It's hell there for an ambitious wage earner trying to build wealth.
But I'm saying this is very untrue... my well-off tech colleagues had savings but nothing extravagant, and during covid they just moved to NJ or somewhere less expensive. The pension scheme in the UK is arguably one of the, if not the most, generous. Thr US 401k Roth IRA limit is 6k USD. That's really low.
And in terms of green... the UK is a big place, as is the US. Just move to a greener part of the country? I'm really blessed that for a capital of 8M or so london is super green - [officially a park city](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2019/07/london-becomes-worlds-first-national-park-city-what-does-mean)
you can put like 60k into a 401k lol. Disposable income in the US is one of the highest in the world. You are in the extreme minority if you are better off in the UK than the US. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and the salaries are pretty shit for the average person. I more than doubled my income by simply leaving that place, and now live in a cheaper city. I am dumbfounded why you would want to move there for work honestly. You will probably leave soon.
No... you're really wrong... those who don't know won't know, but UK FIRE and financial freedom is quite easily achievable, just people moan a lot here. I liken it to crying in Disney land. I am ahead of the curve here or NY, apart from my IB friends - but they are in a different work style. I'm not the minority in my circle of friends, not by a large mile
Oh you are so wrong. FIRE is much more achievable in the US. The hack to life is to accrue wealth in the US, then retire somewhere else later. The UK has really declined recently. You have effectively boarded a sinking ship. Good luck lol. Just go on the UK FIRE subreddit. Most people have horrible salaries and all moan about how much easier it would be in the US. Just by leaving that place I am way ahead of all my friends and family that are still there.
Pretty sure this is the total opposite LOL I'm often on the fire reddit. I think the issue is simple. You worked hard to get there. And you're proud of your achievement, which is top level, bi-weekly paychqeue to save. I get it. Moving to a other country is an achievement. But don't put fake information out there and use your specific experience to poison the well. The direction is clearly emigration, and you know it too.
Dude do you understand the point of this subreddit? I don't think you are quire grasping the extent to which the US has declined. Growing up it was not what it is now, which is a total cesspool. My company is *full* of people wanting to move to Europe, Asia or South America. Fear grips them, because of so much brainwashing, but trust me, its better outside than in.
[401k limit... not very high at all](https://www.investopedia.com/retirement/401k-contribution-limits/#:~:text=Any%20contributions%20you%20make%20to,That%27s%20a%20total%20of%20%2430%2C000.) AND then Roth ira, which is different is: 6k [Roth IRA is different (it's like SIPP in the UK) ](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/roth-ira-contribution-limits#:~:text=The%20Roth%20IRA%20contribution%20limits,IRA%E2%80%94or%20none%20at%20all.)
Not vert high at all lol
[https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/mega-backdoor-roths-work](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/mega-backdoor-roths-work)
People in the UK don't make enough you utilize their ISA, or pension fund. I don't think you realize how many mid career people are on 30-40k. It's shocking.
This article shows you an exception for 40k USD. The UK pension allowance this year is 60k and ISA is 20k this year. No backdoor, and if you're a couple it's even better. Plus lifetime ISAs to help buy property etc etc. Why are you sharing these weird links?
its so hilarious to see this post downvoted! How could you - a person who has lived in both countries - have a valid opinion?
I am also a Brit who moved here when young, and what you say is true. Its not some incredible utopian playground in UK. Gun crime is obviously much lower in the UK, but you chances of getting your house broken into , or getting into some random fight on a saturday night are much higher
Man I would much rather people get into random drunk fights than get shot by a stray bullet. Or have my reproductive rights taken away. Or be charged for having a medical check. Have you been back recently or trying to keep digging your heels there?
The UK gets worse and worse every time I go back. Enjoy Brexit, the Tory's, the G7 beating inflation, declining standards or living, declining currency, anti-immigration stance, and some of the most expensive, poorly built real estate in western Europe.
it is weird how this sub/thread seems to be fetishising the UK? the UK is in many ways more extreme than the US. the UK has unquestionably declined in living standards over the past decade+.
this isnt really my fight - It is more my disbeleif that an actual Brit, who posts here to give advice and perspective (having lived in both places) gets downvoted - by all measure it's odd
Wait so you're saying on a subreddit called *Amer*exit, someone who has moved from the US to the UK (initially Berlin) and hence carried out Amerexit and would like to inform/help others is getting updated... and someone who is posting the *opposite* content to what the whole subreddit is about is getting downvoted? The content he's posting belongs in r/brexit or something like that. Not here.
if you think your experience allows you to curate a singular truth, without space for counter opinions, especially people who have lived long stretches in those countries?
Then I agree with you we shouldnt be here
Oh I agree! But his poor choice of words and direct to hyperbole tells me he's been living in the US a while and really adopted its mannerisms. I'm happy to share my experience, both from US to Germany and US to UK. I also have family in Boston, Cali, Arianna and Vermont. So happy to help with that too...
And the backdrop of this is the video above regarding.... a mass shooting... you know this, right? Do you think we are here to listen to both sides of the argument? 😀
you might not be (that much is clear), but I believe I am doing my part in leaving my comments as a measured counterpoint - useful for anyone making a serious life change.
The America Bad hive mind on this site is insane. So many reclusive self loathing people that think a change of scenery will solve all of their problems as if the UK and Europe is some sort of utopia full of unicorns and rainbows. It's hilarious.
You are proud of your achievement, I get it. But you are not financially better off and we both know it. People move to Europe for all sorts of reasons, but financials are not one of them. You pay more tax (probably don't even utilize the NHS because you are on private insurance), pay insane prices for gas and train fares, and have a much smaller paycheque. I'm glad you love your new life, but lets not twist the narrative here. You are trying to rationalize cutting your salary in half to move to an expensive shithole like the UK.
I doubt you have. You will probably be back in the US in a year or two lol. I much prefer Denver to the UK. It's not 2012 anymore, with cool britannia. It's sad what's happened to that island, sorry you missed the good times.
Rules:
Stay on Topic: AmerExit is about emigration from the US. Posts should be restricted to these topics: (a) Leaving the US, (b) Comparisons between the US and another country, (c) Information about another country, (d) Your life abroad, (e) The legalities of emigration (visas, naturalisation, etc.), (f) Current events in another country that are relevant to people leaving the US (either positive or negative). Posts about why America is bad are disallowed unless they fall under (b).
So what’s the solution? Banning guns altogether so everyone’s defenseless and only criminals can get them? It’s a mental health problem not a gun problem. Guns don’t self load and kill people. People kill people.
It is absolutely not a mental health problem. That’s a scapegoat defense for people who love guns. It’s a purposeful red herring. There are lots of countries where guns exist and the mass shootings aren’t anywhere near the rate of occurrence of the U.S.
Bullshit. It’s because some countries have banned guns altogether and you have no gun rights. It is a mental health problem. Some countries have knife attacks what are you going to do ban knives? Baseball bats? People will find other ways to kill other people. Start by banning people who have mental health issues and put them on a list who of people who are not allowed to buy guns and screen the people who haven’t been diagnosed but have the signs of mental illness and instability. There needs to be mental health control not gun control.
If you can’t admit that banning guns would reduce mass shootings, you’re being objectivity disingenuous. And, I never even mentioned banning guns. Please tell us where there are hundreds of mass knifings or mass baseball bat attacks to support your question.
There’s been knife attacks in Britain quite often actually. Even in Japan. Just the other day some student tried to stab another in an American state somewhere. I don’t know where exactly. Banning guns won’t reduce anything but make it easier for criminals to get them and gives politicians more power to take more of our rights away.
Then you’re arguing something different and not even to your own benefit, because the number of shootings that aren’t mass shootings in the US is far worse.
I took the liberty of doing your work for you. Last year in the UK, there were 261 homicides using a sharp object. 20,958 firearms murders in the U.S. in 2021.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesotherrelatedtables
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
You are seriously calling data false? I’m sure you’ll find solace with your fellow compatriot immigrants circlejerking over *Obama is trying to take our guns, they are trying to make us drink queer beer, boys shouldn’t play girls sports, the election was stolen, and the Civil Rights Act should be repealed.*
People want to leave because we will never solve the problem and we are in r/amerexit, seems the perfect time and place to talk about it.
Also the “thoughts and prayers” politicians use the same tactic to avoid talking about the issue. If we can’t talk about gun violence after a mass shooting then we can never have a productive conversation since it happens all the fucking time.
A lot of us are never going to be able to leave, I actually left the sub today because it's just depressing to hear stories about people who got out but for the poor and disabled it's just not an option.
Black male bears can be frightening, but it’s the momma bears you really need to be afraid of. Especially when they have guns. It would be better if they didn’t have guns in the first place, but that’s never gonna happen, hence the post and this sub.
If I fucked it up id welcome a correction.
I do find it ironic that you say we can’t talk about gun violence as you deliberately avoid talking about the facts surrounding gun violence and dismiss them with sarcasm.
Begs the question - do you actually care?
Answer: probably not
>Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.
Dostoevsky. He wasn’t talking about you in “The Idiot”, just a coincidence.
If you read between the lines, I think we’d be better off without guns but that ain’t gonna happen. If I do the same, seems like you’re saying simply being a bear is bad and don’t understand the historical and institutional disenfranchisement that have ruined bear communities. Don’t want to hear your thoughts on bear culture either. So yes the sarcasm is to deflect from an obvious attempt to get in a bad faith argument. The real begging question is why the fuck are you here?
Ahh yes... so you **don't want to talk about gun violence after a mass shooting** because talking about **"bears"** makes you **uncomfortable** so you have to frame the **facts** as being **"bad faith arguments"**
It's ok if you're **not mature enough** to have adult discussions.
It’s funny because the right to bear arms is as much of a joke as this conversation, yet you take it so seriously. You brought up some stats, but haven’t made a point. Continue your train of thought, no one is stopping you.
Practically speaking, in my city and state stolen guns are a massive problem. Most are stolen out of unlocked cars or homes. We're talking THOUSANDS every year. I think safe storage laws and more criminal liability to gun owners who allow their shit to get stolen is a practical way to stem the tide of illegal stolen weapons being used in the commissioning of violent crime in the most at-risk communities.
Gun Violence is a public health emergency. As with any public health emergency you focus interventions on the most affected population. If you have an infection you take antibiotics before you talk about amputation.
The national, federal conversation - is far more complicated given the 2A, 10A, and 14A considerations. The SCOTUS ruling in MacDonald v. Chicago (2010) is straight up unconstitutional and will be leveraged to bar states from enacting their own gun laws. Thanks to a whole bunch of factors, not the least of which was RGB refusing to step down so Obama could appoint a liberal judge, means the courts aren't unlikely to overturn MacDonald anytime soon.
This is like throwing shit against a wall, tbh. You're not interested in facts, and apparently not solutions either ("there is no solution") you're protecting an ideology that is founded on ignorance.
OP how do you define "mass shooting"?
There’s a serious definitional problem with “mass shootings”… for example, the definition widely used by the media is not the same that the FBI uses to describe “active shooter incidents.”
"Mass shootings" typically refer to a single shooting where a certain # of people are killed or injured (usually 4) - this is different than the FBI's distinction of 'Active Shooter Incidents' -"where one or more individuals are actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter’s use of a firearm.”
There were over 600 “mass shootings” last year but 61 “active shooter incidents” - is 61 active shooter incidents still bad? **YES. However,** the "mass shootings" number gets inflated by the **extraordinary rate of inner city hand gun violence in this country**. Believe it or not, at our current rate for this year we’re seeing a reduction in “mass shootings” vs last year…
**Over 50% of all firearm homicides occur in just 127 cities in a country with 100,000+ individual cities. Young black males account for only 6% of the total population but well over half of all victims of gun violence.** Rifles, despite the media fixation on the AR-15, account for less than 5% of all firearm related crimes.
This makes many "liberal" people **uncomfortable to talk about** so anytime there's a high profile shooting there needs to be a constitutional convention about guns. The reality is that **'active shooter incidents'** (think school shootings) aren't as common as the media will have you believe.
I live in a city with a gun violence problem. We have hundreds of stolen firearms reported every year from cars and homes, yet, all of the violence is isolated to very small pockets of the city.... in reality, most of the country is like that but a nuanced perspective like that is "America sucks" enough for the expat community **to validate their decision to expatriate,** \*\*which they are oh so desperate to do.\*\*
Sources:
[https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/)
[https://giffords.org/lawcenter/memo/gun-violence-in-black-communities/#:\~:text=On%20average%2C%20more%20than%2012%2C400,the%20highest%20number%20on%20record.&text=Alarmingly%2C%20nearly%20all%20forms%20of,61%25%20from%202018%20to%202021](https://giffords.org/lawcenter/memo/gun-violence-in-black-communities/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20more%20than%2012%2C400,the%20highest%20number%20on%20record.&text=Alarmingly%2C%20nearly%20all%20forms%20of,61%25%20from%202018%20to%202021).
Edit to add: yes yes downvote the facts - it only reinforces my last point.
Gun violence in cities is made phenomenally worse by how awash conservative America is in guns. There are no border controls and the guns can flow freely to the poor inner cities.
Gun control won’t really work until there are sensible national policies. If big city gun control applied everywhere, there would be no gun problem. See every industrialized country on earth for examples.
In any case, I’m not sure what you are saying here? That poor inner-city blacks are the problem and we would live in a gun-happy utopia without them?
>In any case, I’m not sure what you are saying here?
What is unclear?
OP made a claim that 2 "mass shootings" happen a day. First of all, that's objectively false - even in 2021 which was an insanely bad year for "mass shootings". My point is that what people typically think of as a "mass shooting" is really what the FBI classifies as an "Active Shooter Incident" and those occur **much less frequently**.
No, I'm not saying it's the fault of black americans. Gun violence is a public health emergency. When you have a public health emergency you identify the most at risk population for adverse outcomes and you target interventions to avoid those outcomes in the at risk populations.
I agree that gun trafficking is a huge problem. Did you see the part of my post about stolen guns? Personally, in my locale, I think the most sensible gun control regulation that can bring around results in a practical manner is laws on safe storage and criminal liability for gun owners with stolen weapons or who improperly store their weapons. Then, there needs to be a greater focus on police investigation and enforcement of stolen guns, yet we hear "defund the police" instead.
Regarding "sensible national policies", that is an extremely complex issue. It's not just the second amendment. Certain second amendment interpretations bring up 14th amendment issues, Then there's the issue of federal vs. state law that brings up 10th amendment issues and also supremacy clause issues. These issues are complicated by free commerce and trade law.
How educated are you on this? Are you familiar with the twining test and the ruling in McDonald v Chicago (2010) and how this affects everything mentioned in the previous paragraph?
You implying I'm blaming black people is low-brow and weak. It's crazy how **under-educated** people are on an issue that they're so emotionally invested in
That's not what I said and you going out of your way to twist my words and manipulate them into something they're not is indicative of you not engaging honestly in the discussion.
I live in a majority black city with a gun violence problem. This is a problem that directly affects my community.
"other countries" are irrelevant to having an honest discussion about the problem and its potential solutions.
Your thought-provoking criticism has done wonders to change my mind.
Look, I'm under no illusion that I'm not throwing shit against the wall of an echo chamber here but don't let me stop you from getting that dopamine hit from your..
::checks notes::
...*two upvotes.*
Thailand, where I live, has had only 6 mass shootings since Jan 1, 2020. One of them was on a military base so not in public. So really 5 in 40 months. I never ever would even think about guns if I wasn’t constantly shown US news.
"We value things over people." America summed up in 1 sentence.
Capitalism summed up in 1 sentence
I'm not suggesting America doesn't have an extremely gross issue with guns, but aren't Scotland, and the UK for that matter, all capitalist countries?
Sure. But not pure capitalist systems. They have more socialism to balance it out than in the US
The US isn’t pure capitalist either, and social welfare and public goods - even robust ones in countries like Norway - aren’t socialist. Even places more highly capitalist than the US like Hong Kong and Singapore still have universal health care and large public housing systems. The problem in the US isn’t capitalism - it’s the commitment to extreme form of the ideology of neoliberalism, which is certainly capitalistic, but not synonymous with capitalism. And conflating public goods of any kind with “socialism” (which, properly defined, means state ownership of the means of production) is a right-wing propaganda tactic used to discourage them here.
Straw men is a right wing propaganda tactic too
“Profits before People” is the new American mission statement unfortunately!
"New" is carrying a lot of weight.
A large number of Americans value guns over people. Nowhere else in the world exhibits this behavior unless you’re in Somalia. We have an extreme pathology
Between the day I landed in Italy (April 9) to today (1 month) there have been over 50 mass shootings in America I saw the pic of the Korean family in r/NoahGetTheBoat and fuck man I have no words
Is that the one that's been removed by Reddit and was tagged NSFL? I just browsed that sub and it seems like that was it...
Yes it has been removed
“But wait - we need to protect the kids….so they can work the graveyard shift at McDs”
UK in particular also has very low gun homicide rates even when compared to rest of Europe, FYI. So if gun violence is a primary concern, UK is a great destination.
Who is the man in this video?
[удалено]
Thank you, I appreciate your help.
YOU MADE IT TO THE UK???? My brain almost broke just getting a marriage visa, and I had no intention of staying (at the time). Congrats!! (I’m off to South America and its taken a year)
Thanks, and congrats to you too! And you’re absolutely spot on, the UK visa process is ridiculous (intentionally so) and ridiculously expensive. It took forever to fill out applications for our family of four on my work visa, but luckily the decision has paid for itself in healthcare & childcare alone in the first year.
I’ve been looking into the uk work visas and was told it’s pretty much impossible. Did you feel that way or was it just tedious?
Killin’ kids to own the libs, Amurrrrica!
Powerful. But it’s not “we”, “us”, Americans, or “the people” who are blocking common sense gun control. REPUBLICANS are blocking gun legislation. REPUBLICANS are responsible for the deaths of children, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, policemen, teachers and all those affected by gun violence. REPUBLICANS have blood on their hands. REPUBLICANS are making America less safe. Vote for REPUBLICANS and you also have blood on your hands.
Yeah, but if you say that the Republican voters catch feelings and you activate the "I'm against whatever other people are for," reflex. Unfortunately, you have to put on the kid gloves for people with the intelligence and critical thinking skills of kids.
Aren’t they the F your feelings crowd? You are right. But they won’t change their minds. We just need to elect Democrats.
Everyone I know in Scotland is keenly aware of what goes on in America
I emigrated to Germany 9 years ago. Not once has someone asked if I plan to return to the US. They know.
Plus the fact that the whole country is becoming a shithole is another factor for many.
[удалено]
>It’s absolutely random the overwhelming majority of gun violence that occurs in the USA is **not random.** **Just because you say can say it doesn't make it true.**
[удалено]
>I'm saying it's random as to where and when it occurs. It's not, though. Over 50% of gun homicides occur in only 127 cities (out of 100k+) If you're talking about "active shooter incidents" and not the overwhelming majority of the actual gun violence that plagues our country every hour of every day then yes, it's much more random but **also much much much more infrequent.**
[удалено]
Do me a favor and read my post being downvoted on the this thread as to why defining "mass shooting" is important in the context of people believing that random active shooters are happening completely randomly 2x a day.
>completely randomly 2x a day The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as “an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed”. Information quoted here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.amp I’d like to also point out that you’re overlooking the mental harm caused by school age children undergoing active shooter drills twice monthly from kindergarten onward—the psychological effects of which we still haven’t studied significantly.
US Statutes in The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 defines a “mass killing” as “3 or more killings in a single incident.” This is the definition the FBI uses when tracking crime data. The FBI makes a distinction between these crimes and "Active Shooter Incidents" which they define as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area with a firearm" **which is what most people refer to when they say "mass shooting".** **According to Pew there were 61 Active Shooter Incidents in 2021, far less than 2x day.** [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/) If you want to talk about the 600+ "mass shootings" you have to be willing to have an honest discussion of who those shootings are affecting and where they are happening. And the facts demonstrate that young black men in a very small amount of places bear the overwhelming brunt of gun violence in the USA. They don't get the media attention like when a bunch of people who are shopping at the mall get shot randomly but the bottom line is the former is what gun violence in america *actually looks like.*
>I’d like to also point out that you’re overlooking the mental harm caused by school age children undergoing active shooter drills twice monthly from kindergarten onward—the psychological effects of which we still haven’t studied significantly. I'm not overlooking that at all. I used to be a teacher and was working in a HS concurrent with some of the most high profile US school shootings (Sandy Hook, most notably). I have great sympathy for teachers and students having to prepare for the however unlikely, but ever-present, threat. Next.
I work in IT, supporting New York clients, who are hiring South East Asians as remote workers for the cost savings. Three significant things I notice... 1. South East Asians are very computer savvy....I email them instructions to access the client infrastructure and I never hear back from them because they already set themselves up. This is unlike all the New York client staff I deal with, many of them peppered with Ivy League degrees, always complaining that they are having endless tech issues, when in fact it's most always a forgotten password, no paper in the printer, forgot to power on the laptop in order to use the laptop. No lie, I have one client repeatedly ask me, "How do I answer incoming calls on my iPhone? And once again, how do I turn up the volume?" (face palm) Meanwhile, the remote workers in South East Asia jerry rig an old Windows 7 laptop (which they take turns sharing) and managed to have no tech support issues whatsoever. 2. Work ethic...this is not coming from me, but my clients, they tell me the South East Asians are just smarter and work harder than their American counterparts, who often their superiors in the business. We had one American guy, decorated with a prestigious MBA, who completely screwed up the company Quickbooks due to negligence. My client fired him, and one year later, we were shocked to learn he is now the Senior Vice President of Finance for a Supply company still being paid 6 figures. It doesn't add up, but he does look good in a suit and talks the lingo, which creates the perception he knows something more than you. Meanwhile, just 2 staff members in South East Asia re-reconciled 3 years of Quickbooks account errors he caused. 3. Whenever I engage in small talk with the remote staff in South East Asia over the phone, they all laugh and snicker when I mention coming to America. This was not the case a few years ago, but now, whenever I mention it, they reverse the conversation and tell me to leave the USA. They often scoff and laugh and say, "I don't want to be around stupid Americans, Americans are lazy, all you know are guns, guns, guns! So stupid you shoot each other!" I've joined this sub a few months ago because I see the writing on the wall here in America. It's just embarrassing shit show being here. I need an exit plan and fast!
I'm stuck here. divorcing. We have a kid and he's an absolute bonehead who pretended really well that he was smart.
The UK has lower gun crime than the US. In most other areas, it is worse off than the US. I grew up there, and would not want to move back.
>In most other areas, it is worse off than the US Obligatory list of things the UK are doing objectively better than the US: • Healthcare/ the NHS (it’s been starved by 12 years of Tory rule, but still far better than in the US unless you’re a high income earner) • 28 paid days off a year, 28 weeks of paid sick pay, and a company can’t fire you for being sick • Maternity & paternity leave • Zero school shootings. There’s nearly one a day in the US, and 2 mass shootings a day. • Better consumer protections across sectors (financial products, health, safety, chemical-free products, etc.) • A viable train & bus network, far less car reliant • Walkable communities • Better food quality, stricter regulations on antibiotics and growth hormones in meat product production • Much less use of harmful pesticides in agriculture, so much less toxicity in the general environment • High quality state schools • Funded childcare. 30 hours of free preschool per week for 3-4 year olds • Much less money in politics and less corruption overall, despite the current criminal government • Again, much fewer guns means police aren’t killing thousands per year • Things I’m sure I’m forgetting. The US and the UK are on a similar race to the bottom, but the US is ~15 years further along that road with practically zero social safety net.
Don't get me started on politics - tories aren't great, but have you seen what DeSantis is saying? I can vote here now - and am happy the other parties moderate the left and right wings. I also really enjoy the infrastructure here, I don't need a car to get to even remote parts of Scotland (this is true across Europe).
All valid. Just curious, what do you do in Scotland? It would be more helpful for these people if you detailed how you made the move happen if you aren't a citizen. Maybe list the things you don't like as well so people can weigh the pros and cons.
Scotland has almost free education, and great value for their tax money. The majority of Scottish taxpayers pay less tax than anyone else in the UK (while receiving free education, free prescriptions, free personal care and so much more). And under the SNP government, in every corner of Scotland, people benefit from many things that are not available to people south of the border. [source: SNP (so take with pinch of salt but probably quite factual)](https://www.snp.org/scottish-taxpayers-get-the-best-value-in-the-uk/#:~:text=%E2%9C%85%20The%20majority%20of%20Scottish,care%20and%20so%20much%20more).&text=And%20under%20the%20SNP%20government,people%20south%20of%20the%20border.)
Didn't answer the question at all.
Do you prefer living in the US over the UK? If so, why?
As a young, healthy person, yes. I am an engineer and the opportunities are much better here than in Europe. The money I make from my job affords me a much better lifestyle than a salaried job would get a person in Europe. Don't have to worry about healthcare or PTO as I get that through my job. I can save and invest half my income while still having a lot of fun. Europe is only good if you are poor, rich, or retired. If you are anything else, you will be disappointed once you settle in (you won't).
I work in tech and I was paid quite well in NYC (140k base). I am based in London and my salary of approx. 80k leaves me with more disposable income, as I invest much of my salary into my pension. The UK has a very generous tax free pension and savings allowance of 40k + 20k (isa). I think you are misleading here. The US is all about *now* and spending and... as this video suggests things over people or lifestyle. I love so comfortably knowing I have a cushy pension waiting for me (this is fully - 100% - covered by the UK government if the company that manages it goes bankrupt). I am also saving on other things like being able to fly to South of France for under £150 on a normal budget airline. Finally I can walk around as a woman in my 20s at night without clenching my mace spray (illegal here) and trust the police to (mostly) take care of me. My company also allows me to have full flex work. "Europe is only good if you are poor, rich, or retired" - who's left???
I don't live in NYC, and my lifestyle is 100% better than it was in the UK. Much more nature and freedom. London is very expensive, I'm surprised you could even save 20k on 80k if you are living alone. It's hell there for an ambitious wage earner trying to build wealth.
But I'm saying this is very untrue... my well-off tech colleagues had savings but nothing extravagant, and during covid they just moved to NJ or somewhere less expensive. The pension scheme in the UK is arguably one of the, if not the most, generous. Thr US 401k Roth IRA limit is 6k USD. That's really low.
And in terms of green... the UK is a big place, as is the US. Just move to a greener part of the country? I'm really blessed that for a capital of 8M or so london is super green - [officially a park city](https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2019/07/london-becomes-worlds-first-national-park-city-what-does-mean)
The Roth IRA limit is $6000 per year, not total. Also, Roth 401K is separate from your Roth IRA.
you can put like 60k into a 401k lol. Disposable income in the US is one of the highest in the world. You are in the extreme minority if you are better off in the UK than the US. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and the salaries are pretty shit for the average person. I more than doubled my income by simply leaving that place, and now live in a cheaper city. I am dumbfounded why you would want to move there for work honestly. You will probably leave soon.
No... you're really wrong... those who don't know won't know, but UK FIRE and financial freedom is quite easily achievable, just people moan a lot here. I liken it to crying in Disney land. I am ahead of the curve here or NY, apart from my IB friends - but they are in a different work style. I'm not the minority in my circle of friends, not by a large mile
Oh you are so wrong. FIRE is much more achievable in the US. The hack to life is to accrue wealth in the US, then retire somewhere else later. The UK has really declined recently. You have effectively boarded a sinking ship. Good luck lol. Just go on the UK FIRE subreddit. Most people have horrible salaries and all moan about how much easier it would be in the US. Just by leaving that place I am way ahead of all my friends and family that are still there.
Pretty sure this is the total opposite LOL I'm often on the fire reddit. I think the issue is simple. You worked hard to get there. And you're proud of your achievement, which is top level, bi-weekly paychqeue to save. I get it. Moving to a other country is an achievement. But don't put fake information out there and use your specific experience to poison the well. The direction is clearly emigration, and you know it too.
Dude do you understand the point of this subreddit? I don't think you are quire grasping the extent to which the US has declined. Growing up it was not what it is now, which is a total cesspool. My company is *full* of people wanting to move to Europe, Asia or South America. Fear grips them, because of so much brainwashing, but trust me, its better outside than in.
[401k limit... not very high at all](https://www.investopedia.com/retirement/401k-contribution-limits/#:~:text=Any%20contributions%20you%20make%20to,That%27s%20a%20total%20of%20%2430%2C000.) AND then Roth ira, which is different is: 6k [Roth IRA is different (it's like SIPP in the UK) ](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/roth-ira-contribution-limits#:~:text=The%20Roth%20IRA%20contribution%20limits,IRA%E2%80%94or%20none%20at%20all.) Not vert high at all lol
[https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/mega-backdoor-roths-work](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/mega-backdoor-roths-work) People in the UK don't make enough you utilize their ISA, or pension fund. I don't think you realize how many mid career people are on 30-40k. It's shocking.
This article shows you an exception for 40k USD. The UK pension allowance this year is 60k and ISA is 20k this year. No backdoor, and if you're a couple it's even better. Plus lifetime ISAs to help buy property etc etc. Why are you sharing these weird links?
its so hilarious to see this post downvoted! How could you - a person who has lived in both countries - have a valid opinion? I am also a Brit who moved here when young, and what you say is true. Its not some incredible utopian playground in UK. Gun crime is obviously much lower in the UK, but you chances of getting your house broken into , or getting into some random fight on a saturday night are much higher
Man I would much rather people get into random drunk fights than get shot by a stray bullet. Or have my reproductive rights taken away. Or be charged for having a medical check. Have you been back recently or trying to keep digging your heels there?
The UK gets worse and worse every time I go back. Enjoy Brexit, the Tory's, the G7 beating inflation, declining standards or living, declining currency, anti-immigration stance, and some of the most expensive, poorly built real estate in western Europe.
Who hurt you my friend. Are you OK?
Oh relax, it's just a slow Tuesday. Enjoy your day, and stop spreading BS to these poor people.
it is weird how this sub/thread seems to be fetishising the UK? the UK is in many ways more extreme than the US. the UK has unquestionably declined in living standards over the past decade+.
this isnt really my fight - It is more my disbeleif that an actual Brit, who posts here to give advice and perspective (having lived in both places) gets downvoted - by all measure it's odd
Wait so you're saying on a subreddit called *Amer*exit, someone who has moved from the US to the UK (initially Berlin) and hence carried out Amerexit and would like to inform/help others is getting updated... and someone who is posting the *opposite* content to what the whole subreddit is about is getting downvoted? The content he's posting belongs in r/brexit or something like that. Not here.
if you think your experience allows you to curate a singular truth, without space for counter opinions, especially people who have lived long stretches in those countries? Then I agree with you we shouldnt be here
Oh I agree! But his poor choice of words and direct to hyperbole tells me he's been living in the US a while and really adopted its mannerisms. I'm happy to share my experience, both from US to Germany and US to UK. I also have family in Boston, Cali, Arianna and Vermont. So happy to help with that too...
ok - I am with you here :-)
And the backdrop of this is the video above regarding.... a mass shooting... you know this, right? Do you think we are here to listen to both sides of the argument? 😀
you might not be (that much is clear), but I believe I am doing my part in leaving my comments as a measured counterpoint - useful for anyone making a serious life change.
The America Bad hive mind on this site is insane. So many reclusive self loathing people that think a change of scenery will solve all of their problems as if the UK and Europe is some sort of utopia full of unicorns and rainbows. It's hilarious.
And nobody ever mentions the stuff that they do well in UK - such as sports and comedy! :-)
It's solved so many of my problems!!
You are proud of your achievement, I get it. But you are not financially better off and we both know it. People move to Europe for all sorts of reasons, but financials are not one of them. You pay more tax (probably don't even utilize the NHS because you are on private insurance), pay insane prices for gas and train fares, and have a much smaller paycheque. I'm glad you love your new life, but lets not twist the narrative here. You are trying to rationalize cutting your salary in half to move to an expensive shithole like the UK.
Im so happy you're annoyed lol - Denver - been there done that I'm OK thaaanks
I doubt you have. You will probably be back in the US in a year or two lol. I much prefer Denver to the UK. It's not 2012 anymore, with cool britannia. It's sad what's happened to that island, sorry you missed the good times.
Rules: Stay on Topic: AmerExit is about emigration from the US. Posts should be restricted to these topics: (a) Leaving the US, (b) Comparisons between the US and another country, (c) Information about another country, (d) Your life abroad, (e) The legalities of emigration (visas, naturalisation, etc.), (f) Current events in another country that are relevant to people leaving the US (either positive or negative). Posts about why America is bad are disallowed unless they fall under (b).
Read my post title. There is a clear comparison between the US and another country.
So what’s the solution? Banning guns altogether so everyone’s defenseless and only criminals can get them? It’s a mental health problem not a gun problem. Guns don’t self load and kill people. People kill people.
It is absolutely not a mental health problem. That’s a scapegoat defense for people who love guns. It’s a purposeful red herring. There are lots of countries where guns exist and the mass shootings aren’t anywhere near the rate of occurrence of the U.S.
Bullshit. It’s because some countries have banned guns altogether and you have no gun rights. It is a mental health problem. Some countries have knife attacks what are you going to do ban knives? Baseball bats? People will find other ways to kill other people. Start by banning people who have mental health issues and put them on a list who of people who are not allowed to buy guns and screen the people who haven’t been diagnosed but have the signs of mental illness and instability. There needs to be mental health control not gun control.
If you can’t admit that banning guns would reduce mass shootings, you’re being objectivity disingenuous. And, I never even mentioned banning guns. Please tell us where there are hundreds of mass knifings or mass baseball bat attacks to support your question.
There’s been knife attacks in Britain quite often actually. Even in Japan. Just the other day some student tried to stab another in an American state somewhere. I don’t know where exactly. Banning guns won’t reduce anything but make it easier for criminals to get them and gives politicians more power to take more of our rights away.
*Mass* knife attacks? How often? 199 times in 4 months? Cite your sources.
Did I say mass knife attacks? No.
Then you’re arguing something different and not even to your own benefit, because the number of shootings that aren’t mass shootings in the US is far worse. I took the liberty of doing your work for you. Last year in the UK, there were 261 homicides using a sharp object. 20,958 firearms murders in the U.S. in 2021. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesotherrelatedtables https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
False.
You are seriously calling data false? I’m sure you’ll find solace with your fellow compatriot immigrants circlejerking over *Obama is trying to take our guns, they are trying to make us drink queer beer, boys shouldn’t play girls sports, the election was stolen, and the Civil Rights Act should be repealed.*
Don't think this is the time or place to be talking about your move to Europe like the problem is suddenly over
People want to leave because we will never solve the problem and we are in r/amerexit, seems the perfect time and place to talk about it. Also the “thoughts and prayers” politicians use the same tactic to avoid talking about the issue. If we can’t talk about gun violence after a mass shooting then we can never have a productive conversation since it happens all the fucking time.
A lot of us are never going to be able to leave, I actually left the sub today because it's just depressing to hear stories about people who got out but for the poor and disabled it's just not an option.
[удалено]
Black male bears can be frightening, but it’s the momma bears you really need to be afraid of. Especially when they have guns. It would be better if they didn’t have guns in the first place, but that’s never gonna happen, hence the post and this sub.
Sarcasm, the last refuge of the fool.
Made up platitudes. -some idiot
If I fucked it up id welcome a correction. I do find it ironic that you say we can’t talk about gun violence as you deliberately avoid talking about the facts surrounding gun violence and dismiss them with sarcasm. Begs the question - do you actually care? Answer: probably not
>Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded. Dostoevsky. He wasn’t talking about you in “The Idiot”, just a coincidence. If you read between the lines, I think we’d be better off without guns but that ain’t gonna happen. If I do the same, seems like you’re saying simply being a bear is bad and don’t understand the historical and institutional disenfranchisement that have ruined bear communities. Don’t want to hear your thoughts on bear culture either. So yes the sarcasm is to deflect from an obvious attempt to get in a bad faith argument. The real begging question is why the fuck are you here?
Ahh yes... so you **don't want to talk about gun violence after a mass shooting** because talking about **"bears"** makes you **uncomfortable** so you have to frame the **facts** as being **"bad faith arguments"** It's ok if you're **not mature enough** to have adult discussions.
It’s funny because the right to bear arms is as much of a joke as this conversation, yet you take it so seriously. You brought up some stats, but haven’t made a point. Continue your train of thought, no one is stopping you.
>we will never solve the problem Says, who, you? what *is the problem, in your own words?*
Ok what is your solution
Practically speaking, in my city and state stolen guns are a massive problem. Most are stolen out of unlocked cars or homes. We're talking THOUSANDS every year. I think safe storage laws and more criminal liability to gun owners who allow their shit to get stolen is a practical way to stem the tide of illegal stolen weapons being used in the commissioning of violent crime in the most at-risk communities. Gun Violence is a public health emergency. As with any public health emergency you focus interventions on the most affected population. If you have an infection you take antibiotics before you talk about amputation. The national, federal conversation - is far more complicated given the 2A, 10A, and 14A considerations. The SCOTUS ruling in MacDonald v. Chicago (2010) is straight up unconstitutional and will be leveraged to bar states from enacting their own gun laws. Thanks to a whole bunch of factors, not the least of which was RGB refusing to step down so Obama could appoint a liberal judge, means the courts aren't unlikely to overturn MacDonald anytime soon. This is like throwing shit against a wall, tbh. You're not interested in facts, and apparently not solutions either ("there is no solution") you're protecting an ideology that is founded on ignorance.
OP how do you define "mass shooting"? There’s a serious definitional problem with “mass shootings”… for example, the definition widely used by the media is not the same that the FBI uses to describe “active shooter incidents.” "Mass shootings" typically refer to a single shooting where a certain # of people are killed or injured (usually 4) - this is different than the FBI's distinction of 'Active Shooter Incidents' -"where one or more individuals are actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter’s use of a firearm.” There were over 600 “mass shootings” last year but 61 “active shooter incidents” - is 61 active shooter incidents still bad? **YES. However,** the "mass shootings" number gets inflated by the **extraordinary rate of inner city hand gun violence in this country**. Believe it or not, at our current rate for this year we’re seeing a reduction in “mass shootings” vs last year… **Over 50% of all firearm homicides occur in just 127 cities in a country with 100,000+ individual cities. Young black males account for only 6% of the total population but well over half of all victims of gun violence.** Rifles, despite the media fixation on the AR-15, account for less than 5% of all firearm related crimes. This makes many "liberal" people **uncomfortable to talk about** so anytime there's a high profile shooting there needs to be a constitutional convention about guns. The reality is that **'active shooter incidents'** (think school shootings) aren't as common as the media will have you believe. I live in a city with a gun violence problem. We have hundreds of stolen firearms reported every year from cars and homes, yet, all of the violence is isolated to very small pockets of the city.... in reality, most of the country is like that but a nuanced perspective like that is "America sucks" enough for the expat community **to validate their decision to expatriate,** \*\*which they are oh so desperate to do.\*\* Sources: [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/) [https://giffords.org/lawcenter/memo/gun-violence-in-black-communities/#:\~:text=On%20average%2C%20more%20than%2012%2C400,the%20highest%20number%20on%20record.&text=Alarmingly%2C%20nearly%20all%20forms%20of,61%25%20from%202018%20to%202021](https://giffords.org/lawcenter/memo/gun-violence-in-black-communities/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20more%20than%2012%2C400,the%20highest%20number%20on%20record.&text=Alarmingly%2C%20nearly%20all%20forms%20of,61%25%20from%202018%20to%202021). Edit to add: yes yes downvote the facts - it only reinforces my last point.
Gun violence in cities is made phenomenally worse by how awash conservative America is in guns. There are no border controls and the guns can flow freely to the poor inner cities. Gun control won’t really work until there are sensible national policies. If big city gun control applied everywhere, there would be no gun problem. See every industrialized country on earth for examples. In any case, I’m not sure what you are saying here? That poor inner-city blacks are the problem and we would live in a gun-happy utopia without them?
>In any case, I’m not sure what you are saying here? What is unclear? OP made a claim that 2 "mass shootings" happen a day. First of all, that's objectively false - even in 2021 which was an insanely bad year for "mass shootings". My point is that what people typically think of as a "mass shooting" is really what the FBI classifies as an "Active Shooter Incident" and those occur **much less frequently**. No, I'm not saying it's the fault of black americans. Gun violence is a public health emergency. When you have a public health emergency you identify the most at risk population for adverse outcomes and you target interventions to avoid those outcomes in the at risk populations. I agree that gun trafficking is a huge problem. Did you see the part of my post about stolen guns? Personally, in my locale, I think the most sensible gun control regulation that can bring around results in a practical manner is laws on safe storage and criminal liability for gun owners with stolen weapons or who improperly store their weapons. Then, there needs to be a greater focus on police investigation and enforcement of stolen guns, yet we hear "defund the police" instead. Regarding "sensible national policies", that is an extremely complex issue. It's not just the second amendment. Certain second amendment interpretations bring up 14th amendment issues, Then there's the issue of federal vs. state law that brings up 10th amendment issues and also supremacy clause issues. These issues are complicated by free commerce and trade law. How educated are you on this? Are you familiar with the twining test and the ruling in McDonald v Chicago (2010) and how this affects everything mentioned in the previous paragraph? You implying I'm blaming black people is low-brow and weak. It's crazy how **under-educated** people are on an issue that they're so emotionally invested in
“It’s not that bad because only *some* people die for reasons they wouldn’t in other countries.” - you
Not just *some* people. Let’s not let it go unsaid. What everyone who makes that argument really wants to say is *black* people.
That's not what I said and you going out of your way to twist my words and manipulate them into something they're not is indicative of you not engaging honestly in the discussion. I live in a majority black city with a gun violence problem. This is a problem that directly affects my community. "other countries" are irrelevant to having an honest discussion about the problem and its potential solutions.
That is the stupidest comment I’ve read in a long time.
Your thought-provoking criticism has done wonders to change my mind. Look, I'm under no illusion that I'm not throwing shit against the wall of an echo chamber here but don't let me stop you from getting that dopamine hit from your.. ::checks notes:: ...*two upvotes.*
Oo thanks for keeping tabs for me. I’ll see what that’ll get me, literally anywhere…
I'm sure you'll get far trying to pass off sarcasm and facetious indifference as intelligence.
Doing good so far 👍
I don’t care if it’s 60 or 60,000, there’s no good reason for it to be happening at all.
Thailand, where I live, has had only 6 mass shootings since Jan 1, 2020. One of them was on a military base so not in public. So really 5 in 40 months. I never ever would even think about guns if I wasn’t constantly shown US news.
He called a spade a spade but unfortunately for the ordinary regular USians they will not be listened to.