US policemen threaten to shoot black mother dead

[Erythronium]

This is one of the most distressing things I have ever seen on Twitter. Policemen threaten to shoot a mother because she can't put her baby down and put her hands up.

twitter.com/SJPeace/status/1139533347280039937

Racism and misogyny in their full horror. The KKK has obviously been recruiting in US police forces.

ByGrabtharsHammarWhatASaving

DH knows of 7 people in his office that conceal carry on a daily basis. I carry the majority of the time. 50% of homeowners in my state own a gun. However I never see a gun in public and I feel much safer than I did living in the UK.

Yes, American Mumsnetters, I love you, I love Americans, we actually have some close American friends (as I said, DH works for an American company) but lots of them come here to work and can't believe the difference in the gun culture. The ones we are frineds with that live here love that the British don't have guns. It is this that has caused the US police to be like this, I'm sure. Well, plus the racism. But we have the racism here, just not the gun culture. But I know a lot of Americans despise the gun culture too.

How do you come back from stuff like this as a family? How do you raise your children to be a part of society when the enforcers of what society is show such disregard for your humanity? This is so depressing.

I was looking for video I saw a while back, about a report that UK police were training US police about their methods. I can't find it, but I got this one - which features the same case they used (the guy with a machete surrounded by police.

He would have probably been shot dead as a matter of procedure by US police, but UK police brought him in alive. But ot's the guns isn't it? Anyone in the US could have a gun.

"British citizens are approximately 100 times less likely to be shot dead by police"

I feel much safer than I did living in the UK.

Genuinely, why is that?

It’s so easy for a child to take something without a parent realise.
As an adult, I've not realised that I've walked out of a shop with an unpaid for item under one of my filled shopping bags until I get to my car, and have paid for it next time I'm in there. Never any repercussions, just a simple thanks.

@ByGrabtharsHammarWhatASaving

Because the crime rate in my state is soo much lower than the UK. The fact that half the population is armed means that if I am in trouble I will have help.

When I had my first child I joined a fb group of new mums and they were mostly American. One day one person was posting really upset because they'd invited friends round and sent the older kids (around 4/5 year olds) upstairs to play. One of the visitors suddenly legged it upstairs because he'd left his bag with his gun in it in the room the kids were playing in. She was shaken and angry, but honestly if that happened to me I don't think I could ever see that person again. I just could never feel safe somewhere that could happen. And don't even get me started on school shooting! It makes me feel sick just thinking about it. I guess it's got to the point now where an amnesty could never work, and it's just a case of mutually assured destruction for most people, but it makes my blood run cold.

Backswoodgirl - I's like to see those stats. Because the more people have guns, the more likely someone is going to get shot. Like - that toddler shooting his mum in a supermarket. Like, that six year old kid taking his uncle's gun into primary class and shooting his classmate. Like the almost daily mass shootings in the USA this year.

Do you mean the violent crime rate is lower, or crime in general Backwoodsgirl? Because if in the course of a week there are 100 burglaries in the UK and 10 shootings in your state, then the crime rate might technically be lower but I wouldn't say you're safer!

Just a few weeks ago another of my friends in the US got a call to let her know that a 7 year old had been found with a gun in school, but it was all OK. That was it, no "come pick your kids up", just a courtesy call to let her know. Utter madness.

^a 7 year old at her kids school, I mean

Homicide from shooting in the US is through the roof compare to the UK. That is not "safer" in my book.

The UK reacted to the mass shooting in Dunblane by banning handguns, and severely restricting other firearms. Guess what? We barely have shootings here now - because the guns are just not available.

An Australian veterinarian was shot dead by police in Minneapolis after SHE reported an incident:

The policeman was charged and found guilty of 2nd degree murder, but is now appealing: thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2019/05/15/justine-damond-acquittal/
The whole thing is so dodgy.

As an adult, I've not realised that I've walked out of a shop with an unpaid for item under one of my filled shopping bags until I get to my car, and have paid for it next time I'm in there. Never any repercussions, just a simple thanks.

Last week I walked out of the supermarket with all my shopping unpaid for. Scanned it through the self service til, put it all under my pushchair, walked off (that, btw, is how much the gender debate is distracting me!) I got half way down the road and realised what I'd done, went back and paid. The shop assistants were just stood there like as I blustered and apologised. It's so easily done.

@ByGrabtharsHammarWhatASaving

Here are the stats for my state.

www.maine.gov/dps/cim/crime_in_maine/2017pdf/019%20Rates.pdf

Here are the stats on gun incidents in the US:

1.7 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns - 1 out of 3 homes with kids have guns.

In 2015, 2,824 children (age 0 to 19 years) died by gunshot and an additional 13,723 were injured.

An emergency department visit for non-fatal assault injury places a youth at 40 percent higher risk for subsequent firearm injury.

Those people that die from accidental shooting were more than three times as likely to have had a firearm in their home as those in the control group.

Among children, the majority (89%) of unintentional shooting deaths occur in the home. Most of these deaths occur when children are playing with a loaded gun in their parent’s absence.

People who report “firearm access” are at twice the risk of homicide and more than three times the risk of suicide compared to those who do not own or have access to firearms.

Suicide rates are much higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership, even after controlling for differences among states for poverty, urbanization, unemployment, mental illness, and alcohol or drug abuse.

Among suicide victims requiring hospital treatment, suicide attempts with a firearm are much more deadly than attempts by jumping or drug poisoning — 90 percent die compared to 34 percent and 2 percent respectively. About 90 percent of those that survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide.

States implementing universal background checks and mandatory waiting periods prior to the purchase of a firearm show lower rates of suicides than states without this legislation. To read more about suicide and firearms, click here.

In states with increased gun availability, death rates from gunshots for children were higher than in states with less availability.

The vast majority of accidental firearm deaths among children are related to child access to firearms — either self-inflicted or at the hands of another child.

Studies have shown that states with Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws laws have a lower rate of unintentional death than states without CAP laws.

Domestic violence is more likely to turn deadly with a gun in the home. An abusive partner’s access to a firearm increases the risk of homicide eight-fold for women in physically abusive relationships. Read more about the impact of child exposure to domestic violence.

injury.research.chop.edu/violence-prevention-initiative/types-violence-involving-youth/gun-violence/gun-violence-facts-and#.XQQpGXt7lUc

The existence of domestic violence (men who batter women and children) makes the reality of mass gun ownership absolutely horrific.

The US is similar in population and landmass to Europe, so to compare stats we should be comparing US to EU.

Europe has double the population of the US. They're hardly comparable.

More comparable than US to UK

Backswoodgirl, I've already typed this, but you are 100 times more likely to be shot by police as an American citizen, than you are as a UK citizen.

I don't know what the stats are for schoolchildren - bit since we've not had a school shooting in the UK since Dunblane in 1996, I would think our stats are favourable compared to the US.

ZebrasAreBras

I did read your first post. That may be the case but still feel safer here, and trust the police more

Your personal perception is not supported by the homicide figures, simple as that.