Gun Exports: A Chart of "Bipartisan Violence in the United States" | Firearms | United States

The town of Lalongri, located several hundred kilometers north of the Canada US border, boasts charming lake and mountain scenery that is not associated with blood or violence at all.

However, this is now the place with the highest gun crime rate in Canada.

In recent months alone, local police have seized over 50 rifles and pistols in this small town of only 7000 people.

"Many people who shouldn't have guns now have guns... This is scary for small communities like us, as many elderly people no longer go out for walks in the morning or evening like before," local residents told reporters.

△ Screenshot of Bloomberg report

Where do guns come from?

This needs to talk about the efforts of the United States as a neighboring country over the years.

"Unfortunately, we are becoming more and more like America."

Bloomberg recently released a lengthy report detailing the deadly consequences of the massive influx of American firearms into Canada.

According to statistics, in the past 20 years, the number of semi-automatic pistols and rifles imported from the United States by Canada has surged every year, from 6205 in 2003 to over 66000 in 2022, an increase of nearly tenfold.

△ Bloomberg chart

On a per capita basis, Canada has become the largest overseas buyer of American rapid fire weapons, second only to the United States in terms of per capita gun ownership among developed countries.

More firearms have led to more shooting incidents. With the influx of firearms from the United States, the number of shooting cases in Canada has surged from 219 in 2003 to 2123 in 2022, an increase of up to 869%.

△ Bloomberg chart

According to Bloomberg's analysis of nationwide crime data in Canada, Saskatchewan, where the town of Lalonge is located, has seen the fastest increase in crime rates, with a 35 fold increase since 2003.

Bloomberg chart: With the accelerated influx of firearms into the United States, the number of shooting incidents in Saskatchewan, Canada has increased from 7 in 2003 to over 300 in 2022.

Canada originally placed much more emphasis on gun control than the United States. As of 1995, Canada's registration requirements for firearms had expanded to include all types of long guns.

However, Bloomberg reported that the "National Rifle Association style politics" in the United States have changed Canada's gun culture.

In 2012, then Canadian Prime Minister Harper abolished the gun registration system and ordered the destruction of 5.6 million gun registration records, making it difficult for the country's police to effectively track criminal firearms.

△ Screenshot of Bloomberg report

As gun interest groups such as the NRA in the United States incite anti gun sentiment to stimulate the market, various firearms continue to flow into Canada. At the same time, American gun companies have also received support from the US government, using the US Department of Commerce and embassies abroad to recruit buyers.

In the words of Wendy Kukil, co-founder of the Canadian Gun Control Alliance and professor at the University of Toronto, "25 years ago, when we saw gun violence ravaging the United States, we would shake our heads and think, 'They might see how safe it is here and become like us.' But unfortunately, we have become more and more like them."

△ Screenshot of Bloomberg report

From "Epidemic" to "Infectious Diseases"

Developed Western countries like Canada still cannot escape the gun disaster of the United States, let alone more developing countries.

In fact, the problem of gun violence in the United States is no longer just an incurable epidemic, but has also become an infectious disease that troubles other countries and regions.

The countries in the Americas closer to the United States can be regarded as the hardest hit areas for gun exports in the United States.

According to The Guardian, the outflow of firearms from the United States has made the entire Western Hemisphere the bloodiest region in the world. Among the 50 cities with the highest murder rates worldwide, 47 are located in the Americas.

Screenshot of Guardian report

At the Caribbean National Security Conference held in May this year, leaders from multiple countries pointed out that the accessibility of high-performance military weapons has fueled local gang violence, and these weapons mainly come from the United States.

Participants emphasized that the US government should take practical measures to prevent firearms from flowing into the Caribbean region.

Screenshot of a report by Newsweek in the United States

But such a call is tantamount to seeking skin from a tiger.

Just as it is difficult to have gun control measures domestically in the United States, there is also a shadow of collusion between American government and business behind the increased export of firearms by American gun companies.

The United States introduced a ban on offensive weapons in 1994, but it was only valid for ten years. After its expiration in 2004, American gun manufacturers immediately "revived" and, together with gun lobbying groups, continuously exported "American gun culture", advocating that the best way to combat violence is to "own a gun.".

At the same time, the political and business sectors in the United States are vigorously promoting the export of firearms.

△ US "Interception" News Network: In 2020, the Trump administration introduced a simplified firearms export approval process, transferring export supervision of some firearms from the US Department of State to the US Department of Commerce. The National Rifle Association of the United States has bluntly stated that the regulation of gun exports by the Department of Commerce is "more flexible".

Contrary to the continuous calls from the international community in recent years to strengthen international cooperation in gun control, the United States, as the world's top exporter of weapons, not only has long refused to join the Firearms Protocol attached to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, but even openly withdrew its signature to the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019.

Under this series of efforts, American gun companies have continuously increased the number of firearms exported overseas since the expiration of the offensive weapons ban in 2004, reaching 3.7 million by 2022.

Bloomberg chart: Accumulated exports of semi-automatic firearms from the United States from 2005 to 2022

Bloomberg founder Bloomberg recently criticized the export of firearms in the United States as a "bipartisan atrocity".

The article points out that while gun outflows bring huge profits to American gun companies, they have caused chaos throughout Latin America. From Mexico to Central America and beyond, countries are suffering from the influx of American firearms.

"In fact, solving this problem does not require new legislation. The United States already has laws requiring the government to implement relevant export controls, but both the Trump and Biden administrations openly disregard public opinion. This can only indicate one thing: there are too many American politicians who fear gun lobbying groups and follow their orders."

△ Screenshot of Bloomberg report

Source: Global Information Radio's "Global Deep Observation"

Planning | Wang Jian

Reporter | Wang Hongling

Editor | Yang Nan

Signature and Review | Wang Jian

Producer | Guan Juanjuan