Nearly 2 in 3 Californian adults have had at least indirect exposure to [gun]violence. [View all]

[AndyS]

Nearly 2 in 3 Californian adults have had at least indirect exposure to [gun]violence. That’s according to a study from the University of California-Davis Firearm Violence Research Center that sought to quantify how broad the social effects of gun violence might reverberate out from direct or witnessed victimization. The study was based on a state-representative survey conducted in July 2020 and assessed six possible indirect experiences of violence people have had, ranging from gunshots occuring in one’s neighborhood to knowing someone who had been a gun violence victim. Extrapolating from the sample, the researchers estimate that more than 3 million Californians had more than three experiences of violence over a year; about 5 million personally know more than one person who has been intentionally shot; and 3 million know people at risk of committing violence. “Our main conclusion is that almost everybody is touched by this, and we’re a state with relatively low rates of firearm violence,” lead author Garen Wintemute told Crime Report. “I would expect the situation would be worse in many other states.”

https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-021-00367-1

It's like Six Degrees of Separation. Guns and Gun Violence has become so pervasive that almost everyone knows someone who has been directly touched by it. Think about yourself and all the people you know. It's not just adults, think about all the children who routinely do Active Shooter Drills. As a Grandfather of three I can attest to the effect it has on them.

For my own part my Sister in Law's son committed suicide with a gun. A close acquaintance's daughter attempted suicide with a gun he kept for home defense (had it not been for his military training in dealing with sucking chest wounds she would have succeeded). I personally have had a gun pointed at me while the user tried to clear a jam by repeatedly working the action and pulling the trigger (fortunately it was a very stubborn jam).

If you are not one of those 2 in 3 the powers that work the cosmos have been kind to you. Next time you're in a group of people look to the one next to you on either side and think about it.