Two and a half years after an end to a handgun ban in the US capital Washington, gun ownership has become widespread, with many households having access to firearms.
Since the US Supreme Court lifted the district's handgun ban in June 2008, more than 1,400 firearms have been registered with DC police, a Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday.
But police data show that the capital's wealthy residents in lower crime sections have higher registrations of handguns than those in poorer crime-plagued areas.
For example, nearly 300 guns have been registered in high income areas like Georgetown, while only about 240 have been recorded in areas like Southeast DC, where crime is more prevalent.
Experts say there is no concrete reason to explain the dynamics between rich and poor community gun purchases, but it does show a changing attitude toward gun possession.
Almost 32 months after the District court adopted the Second Amendment, murder rate has dropped by 25 percent in DC, members of Gun Owners of America in Virginia said.
They thus concluded that “more guns in the District” mean “lower crimes.”
Under the Second Amendment, the possession of firearms and ammunition for the purpose of self-defense is legitimate. The US government says that it allows its citizens to carry firearms to show them its attention to their civil liberties and social freedoms.
However, organizations such as the Coalition against Gun Violence believe tougher gun control laws would have a greater impact on reducing crime.
According to a 2006 Gallup survey, some 34 percent of the citizens of the United States possess firearms. This means that there are more than 200 million firearms in private hands.
Experts believe that the freedom of gun ownership results in chaos, anarchy and confusion rather than securing the safety of the citizens and safeguarding their civil liberties.
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