Gun Country 枪械泛滥的国度

　　The debate on gun control splits America美国对枪支管制众说纷纭

　　In 2001, American gun companies produced over 3 million handguns, rifles and shotguns, enough for one for every 93 men, women and children. Every year, over 30,000 Americans are killed by guns, slightly over half in suicide. Every day, twelve children in the United States die in gunfire. What is it with Americans and their guns?

　　The Second Amendment to the US Constitution says, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. ” Gun owners, led by the National Rifle Association (NRA), interpret this to mean that the government has no business telling people how many and what kind of guns they can own. Over the years, the NRA has headed off most attempts to restrict gun ownership, insisting that the freedom to own guns is the peoples’ only protection against oppressive government. “Guns don’t kill people,” they say. “People kill people.”

　　True enough, but studies have shown that a gun kept in the home for “protection” is 22 times more likely to be used on a family member than an intruder. Following several student shootings, high schools across the country have begun to install metal detectors and to search students for weapons at the door. Though the murder rate has dropped in recent years, for a while shootings were so common in some cities that newspapers didn’t bother to report all of them.

　　People often buy guns because they feel afraid they might become victims of a crime. According to John Donohue of Stanford University, however, “criminals are more likely to use a gun if prospective victims are carrying guns,” creating a vicious cycle. With all these guns so easily available, is it any wonder that so many people are dying?

　　On the other hand, guns are legal and widely available next door in Canada. How many people are murdered with guns in Canada annually? About a hundred.

　　2001年，美国的枪支制造商生产了300多万只手枪、步枪和霰弹枪，足以让每93个男人、女人和小孩都拥有一把枪。每一年，有3万多美国人死于枪下，当中自杀案的比例比一半又多一点点。每一天，有12位小孩在美国枪下丧生。美国人和他们的枪支究竟出了什么问题？

　　美国宪法修正案第二条说：”不可侵犯人民拥有武器的权利。”由国家步枪协会领导的枪支拥有者，将此解释为政府无权告诉人民他们可以拥枪的数量和种类。多年以来，国家步枪协会阻止了多数限制枪支拥有权的企图，他们坚持拥有枪支的自由是人民惟一可以和压迫的政府抗衡的护身符。”枪不会杀人。”他们说，”人才会杀人。”

　　话虽没错，但是研究显示，保存在家庭中的“防卫”用途枪支，被用在家庭成员身上的几率比用在侵入者身上高出22%。在数起学生枪击事件后，美国各地的高中开始设置金属探测器，在门口搜查学生有没有带武器。虽然近年来谋杀案的比率已经下降，有一阵子枪击事件在某些城市太普遍，以至于报纸都懒得报道所有的枪击案了。

　　人们通常因为害怕自己可能成为犯罪事件的受害者而买枪。但是斯坦福大学的约翰•唐纳修说：“如果预期中的受害者带着枪，罪犯更有可能会使用枪械。”这造成了恶性循环。这些枪支这么容易取得，造成那么多人死亡根本是无庸置疑的事。

　　另一方面，枪支在加拿大是合法的，而且到处都买得到。加拿大每年有多少人被枪杀呢？大约100个。