Since World War II, the US has been the number one country in the world in getting most of the prestigious Nobel prizes. The US has become the land of smart brains, research and innovations. The trend is continuing.
The US is the first country to step foot on the moon in 1969. What an achievement! The trend is continuing to Mars too.
For many years, the US has been in the forefront in international sports competitions. Indeed, we are proud.
On the other hand, the US has also become number one country in the world in the death rate of COVID-19 even though the virus didn’t originate here. Already passed one million.
Like Nobel prizes, the US has also been the number one country in the world for a long time regarding everyday gun violence and everyday death rate due to gun violence.
At the same time, what I have observed over my long years living in the US is the US doesn’t want to follow other countries. From using miles instead of kilometers to even the design of our light switches, many of our systems are different from the rest of the world.
This trend is seen in the political system too. The Grand Old Party has become obsessed with the NRA. The federal government made a law that 21 is the age limit to buy and carry guns, but some red states including Texas made that limit to 18 years. Many citizens can purchase assault rifles before they can legally have a drink of alcohol. The Uvalde gun shooter just turned 18 when he bought assault rifles.
Why do we need to let 18 years old to buy assault rifles? In sciences, reasonings and rationalities are extremely important to formulate hypotheses and to get supporting evidence. Tragically, we in the US don’t want to follow or learn from other’s examples. There are large numbers of foreign countries — including developed and developing countries — who manage guns superbly.
According to The Washington Post, since 1966 there were 196 mass shooting incidents, and 40 percent of mass shooters were of 18 to 29 years old. If you stick to 21 years age limit, you can cut down 10 percent of mass shootings. Alternatively, if you use background checks, you can lower the mass shooting in a big way.
One thing I do appreciate is the checks and balances of American government system, which may be unique in the world. But we need to elect more center stage politicians, not extreme Republicans or Democrats.
Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, teaches chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Mississippi University for Women. He writes the occasional column with the assistance of his daughter. His email address is [email protected]
Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, teaches chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Mississippi University for Women. His email address is [email protected]
