The role of guns is maybe the strangest aspect of US society from a German point of view. For many Americans, possessing a firearm is nothing less than a fundamental civil right. Many others point to the disturbingly high number of gun related deaths through accident, suicide, crime, and mass shootings and call for much stricter gun control legislation. The fronts are hardened, the debates bitter, and no consensus or compromise is in sight. The „Never Again“ movement started by survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting is just the latest chapter in a decades-old struggle.
This talk will examine the debates on gun ownership, gun control, and gun violence in the US with a special focus on the mass shootings in schools and public places that have plagued American society for years. Why is opposition to gun control so adamant? What solutions and measures have been proposed and would any of them actually work? What is the role of federal and state governments in all of this? As usual, satirical cartoons and videos will add some dark humor to these grim topics.
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