The great Swedish gun scandal of 2019.
Hi friends!
Another week has passed, and today marks exactly one month since we landed in Sweden! This week my humans and I took a hike to a gorgeous and craggy park just about one kilometre from the house. The park is filled with trails, small lakes, other dogs, joggers, and a quaint cafe that serves fresh cinnamon buns and waffles.
My humans have visited and lived in various cities around Sweden over the years, and something they've found consistently in neighbourhoods wealthy or poor, central or peripheral, is immediate access to big beautiful clean parks with running trails. I'm guessing this will be the venue for long dog walks and leisurely human-jogs in the future.
In today's Adventures of Gino the Dog, I mock a gun safety scandal that made national headlines in Sweden.
Depending on how you interpret the awkwardly-worded second amendment, the US Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own firearms.
In just about every state in the US, Americans can, with little hassle, get a permit to carry a gun in public. In more than a few states you don't even need a permit: it's just your right to carry a gun around. These rights are supported by a spectrum of heavily-funded and politically savvy interest groups so well connected to the Republican Party that Russian spies used their connections within them to infiltrate the US government during the 2016 election.
The US has been, for a decade, home to more guns than humans. It is also home to more gun-related deaths than almost any country. In 2016 six countries were responsible for more than half the 250,000 firearm related deaths worldwide. The US was number 2, with 37,200, just a bit behind #1 Brazil with 43,200 deaths, and WAY ahead of #3 Mexico's 15,400 deaths. Of course, in terms of deaths-by-gun per person, the US ranks behind smaller crime-war-and-suicide-rattled countries in Central America and Asia, but we're not terribly far down the list (#20 at about 10.6 deaths per 100,000 persons), and multiple states (Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Wyoming) would rank among the top ten nations.
In 2017, gun related deaths in the US increased to over 40,000. Sadly, sixty percent of these deaths were suicides, about thirty-six percent homocides, and the rest accidents.
Whether you're convinced that the massive amount of easily accessible guns and the massive political influence of the gun lobby are to blame for actual deaths by gun, OR you believe death by gun is related to mental health access, OR you believe death by gun is part of a complex tangle of systemic social and political issues that the American public and their elected officials have no apparent interest in solving or EVEN FUNDING RESEARCH ABOUT, it's hard to deny that it's a tragic and important issue.
All that to say, gun safety made the news in Sweden! Here is what happened: a politician issued a national statement of regret for leaving his gun cabinet unlocked inside his very locked, very secure house.
Ulf Kristersson, the opposition party leader in the Swedish parliament, left his house for a night. While he was gone, a repairman entering the house triggered an alarm monitored by the national police force, SÄPO. When the police arrived to check that everything was OK, they found that his gun cabinet was unlocked with guns and ammunition inside. GASP! This triggered a lengthy social media confession, including the following statement (translated): ''I made a mistake when I left the cabinet unlocked. It has never happened before and it will never happen again...this is not a crime, but it's irresponsible.''
Only time will tell whether Ulf survives this moral blunder.
In recent years, the Swedes have expressed concern about a rise in deadly violence, especially among young men who represent the vast majority of victims. In 2017, all lethal violence claimed 113 victims (total), up a bit from 106 victims in 2016. Of the 113 deaths due to any violent cause, 40 were death by gun, (or about 1.6 deaths per 100,000 persons) with 39 male victims and 1 female victim.
But Gino-the-Dog, isn't this all because Swedes don't own guns?
Umm...Swedes own plenty of guns (23.1 guns per person) relative to other countries in the world (#15 in the world). A major difference is that gun ownership and use is heavily controlled. Owning a gun requires obtaining a license from local police. You have to be 18 years old and you have to have been a member in an official shooting club for at least six months. You also have to have passed a hunting exam. Transporting a gun is effectively illegal unless you're on your way to the shooting range or on your way to go hunting, and in either case the gun has to be hidden and unloaded.
So, I suppose what counts as scandal is relative. If your country actively controls and fears deadly weapons, then perhaps failing to lock your guns is a bit embarrassing. Though I imagine Mr. Kristersson, too, has bigger fish to fry.
Another week has passed, and today marks exactly one month since we landed in Sweden! This week my humans and I took a hike to a gorgeous and craggy park just about one kilometre from the house. The park is filled with trails, small lakes, other dogs, joggers, and a quaint cafe that serves fresh cinnamon buns and waffles.
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| Me. Conquering my fear of heights. |
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| Can you find LadyHuman in this photo? |
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| Me. At full throttle. |
My humans have visited and lived in various cities around Sweden over the years, and something they've found consistently in neighbourhoods wealthy or poor, central or peripheral, is immediate access to big beautiful clean parks with running trails. I'm guessing this will be the venue for long dog walks and leisurely human-jogs in the future.
In today's Adventures of Gino the Dog, I mock a gun safety scandal that made national headlines in Sweden.
This is what counts as a Swedish gun scandal.
In the US guns are a serious issue.Depending on how you interpret the awkwardly-worded second amendment, the US Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own firearms.
In just about every state in the US, Americans can, with little hassle, get a permit to carry a gun in public. In more than a few states you don't even need a permit: it's just your right to carry a gun around. These rights are supported by a spectrum of heavily-funded and politically savvy interest groups so well connected to the Republican Party that Russian spies used their connections within them to infiltrate the US government during the 2016 election.
The US has been, for a decade, home to more guns than humans. It is also home to more gun-related deaths than almost any country. In 2016 six countries were responsible for more than half the 250,000 firearm related deaths worldwide. The US was number 2, with 37,200, just a bit behind #1 Brazil with 43,200 deaths, and WAY ahead of #3 Mexico's 15,400 deaths. Of course, in terms of deaths-by-gun per person, the US ranks behind smaller crime-war-and-suicide-rattled countries in Central America and Asia, but we're not terribly far down the list (#20 at about 10.6 deaths per 100,000 persons), and multiple states (Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Wyoming) would rank among the top ten nations.
In 2017, gun related deaths in the US increased to over 40,000. Sadly, sixty percent of these deaths were suicides, about thirty-six percent homocides, and the rest accidents.
Whether you're convinced that the massive amount of easily accessible guns and the massive political influence of the gun lobby are to blame for actual deaths by gun, OR you believe death by gun is related to mental health access, OR you believe death by gun is part of a complex tangle of systemic social and political issues that the American public and their elected officials have no apparent interest in solving or EVEN FUNDING RESEARCH ABOUT, it's hard to deny that it's a tragic and important issue.
All that to say, gun safety made the news in Sweden! Here is what happened: a politician issued a national statement of regret for leaving his gun cabinet unlocked inside his very locked, very secure house.
 |
| Swedish Moderate Party Leader and eye glasses model, Ulf Kristersson. |
Only time will tell whether Ulf survives this moral blunder.
In recent years, the Swedes have expressed concern about a rise in deadly violence, especially among young men who represent the vast majority of victims. In 2017, all lethal violence claimed 113 victims (total), up a bit from 106 victims in 2016. Of the 113 deaths due to any violent cause, 40 were death by gun, (or about 1.6 deaths per 100,000 persons) with 39 male victims and 1 female victim.
But Gino-the-Dog, isn't this all because Swedes don't own guns?
Umm...Swedes own plenty of guns (23.1 guns per person) relative to other countries in the world (#15 in the world). A major difference is that gun ownership and use is heavily controlled. Owning a gun requires obtaining a license from local police. You have to be 18 years old and you have to have been a member in an official shooting club for at least six months. You also have to have passed a hunting exam. Transporting a gun is effectively illegal unless you're on your way to the shooting range or on your way to go hunting, and in either case the gun has to be hidden and unloaded.
So, I suppose what counts as scandal is relative. If your country actively controls and fears deadly weapons, then perhaps failing to lock your guns is a bit embarrassing. Though I imagine Mr. Kristersson, too, has bigger fish to fry.
Other things going on: RAPID FIRE EDITION.
- ManHuman attended his first 'språkcafé', (language café) at the local public library. It's an opportunity to speak Swedish with other novice speakers. Unfortunately there was a whole lot more lyssna than språk. Fortunately coffee and cake was involved (in Swedish this combination is often called fika), and all the lyssna was because they heard a presentation from a city's architect, which was very interesting to ManHuman.
- LadyHuman is attending a weekly evening course at Gothenburg University on the history of Western Sweden. ManHuman is jealous.
- For the past three weeks, both humans have attended a weekly short story discussion circle, and the stories have been fantastic. This week they read two stories by Canadian Nobel Prize winner, Alice Munroe.
- The slow cooker continues to deliver awesome meals, including this.
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