US most gun-centric society on planet: Analyst
Press TV has conducted an interview with Scott Rickard, former American intelligence linguist in Orlando, to discuss increasing gun violence in the United States.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: How can the US fight increasing gun violence and culture in the face of the heavy lobbies present in the country?
Rickard: It is amazing to see how many weapons are available not only in the United States but around the world. The United States has become the number one arms manufacturer and seller in the history of the planet. And the gun violence in the United States is horrific. Nearly 100,000 [are] killed every year and police officers are responsible for over 1,000 people killed every year here. Even in the past 20 years that is 20,000 people there that have died under the hands of police officers even in the United States.
So you are looking at a very gun-centric society that is most heavily armed, most heavily used guns in the history of any society on the planet. So it is a very strange environment to live in when you have a government that is out of control, buying weapons as they are, across the planet selling weapons. If you look at a country like Sweden for example, Sweden, a lot of their weapons cannot be sold internationally because the people will not approve it but in the United States, unfortunately, the people are not even made aware of the weapons deals that are going on around the world.
Press TV: Recently President Obama admitted his failure to pass “common sense gun safety laws,” calling it one of the greatest frustrations of his presidency. In the time that he has remaining in office, will he be able to stand in the face of the tough lobbies like the NRA (the National Rifle Association of America) ?
Rickard: Absolutely not. These lobbies are as powerful as AIPAC. These are lobbies that buy and sell politicians left and right. These are businesses that are very powerful. Their business is funded by large banks. So no, the politicians come and go but the individuals who fund the campaigns choose the individuals who continue to do what they want them to do.
Press TV: So in that case what is going to take then in your opinion?
Rickard: Nothing more than an awakening of a society that has been misled for several generations and without news agencies like Press TV they will never be made aware of any of this type of information because you are looking at television media in the United States that it is really a joke.
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