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Comment by spicyusername | Hacker News Reader

As a U.S. citizen my fear of being involved in gun violence on a day-to-day basis is zero.

Basically all gun violence in America is either confined to very specific economically depressed areas, that are well-known and easy to avoid, or is between two private parties.

Yes the big news headlines are scary, yes I wish the number was zero, but the reality is that the risk is still extremely, extremely, extremely low and is not something the average person needs to even think about unless you live in one of the violence prone neighborhoods.

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> Basically all gun violence in America is either confined to very specific economically depressed areas, that are well-known and easy to avoid, or is between two private parties.

Like schools?

These are shameful, and shouldn't happen.

But, if you run the numbers, they're also rare enough that they're not worth worrying about at the individual level. The kind people usually mean by "school shooting" are especially rare.

> they're not worth worrying about at the individual level

Just as an anecdote: My company tried to recruit an executive from Britain many years ago. He had young children and was concerned about the high rates of child mortality due to firearms and motor-vehicles deaths (the top two causes of death for children in the US) compared to the negligible risk in the UK.

While his underlying concern wasn't specific to "school shootings", he did point out that our blasé acceptance of them was another example of our comparatively higher risk tolerance.

Well to put it into perspective, run the numbers to see how likely it is per-capita for a Ukrainian civilian to die in the war, compared to how likely it is for a US American to die by being shot.

Just to add, statistically speaking kids are more likely to experience violence, including gun violence, in other settings than at school. That include general public places and even their home.

The number one cause of death for children in America is shootings.

I think drug overdoses are still higher for people under the age of 18.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7150a2.htm

Show us the source

Maybe, but then you still have the secondary effects. Terrifying lockdown drills and shooter training. Transparent/kevlar backpacks. Armed teachers and/or security everywhere. What a fucked up environment to grow up in.

> As a U.S. citizen my fear of being involved in gun violence on a day-to-day basis is zero.

As an Australian, my fear of being killed by the local fauna, flora or the country is near 0. Yes, the "common brown" is the worlds 3rd most venomous snake, and they are the snake I mostly see around my house, but I know where they live and their habits. Yes, the funnel web is a relatively common and very aggressive spider found in our backyards. It's also the world's deadliest spider (it killed one girl in 12 minutes). But everyone is hyper aware of them, and almost no one gets bitten. The surf on our magnificent beaches is deadly, but we are all taught to recognise rips and swim only in supervised areas.

So the reality is Australia is a very safe place, for Australians. Please visit. It's a blast.

Don't forget the two-thirds of gun violence that only involves a single private party, and doesn't pose any risk to an unrelated tourist visiting the country.

Sandy hook? Harvest Festival? Not exactly low income.

Your point is somewhat valid. I live in Los Angeles and never think about gun violence. But it’s a stretch to say gun violence is isolated to low income areas. The risk is non-zero for all of us.

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