Dear tourists, gun violence in America is just part of the experience
Robert Delaney says the latest controversy in the US over the 3D printing of guns may raise questions about what a visitor to the country might expect – including worry about personal safety – but the intrepid traveller should not be deterred
Gun rights have always distinguished the US from other countries. After Americans won independence from Great Britain, the right to bear arms has solidified into the nation’s historical narrative as a sacred measure of redress against the tyranny of government.
As a tourist in the US, your chances of taking a bullet might be higher than the national average, mostly because you’re likely to be in populated areas favoured by maniacs looking to inflict carnage. But no doubt the chance of you being shot – whether in Times Square, Venice Beach or Mount Rushmore – is still somewhere below 50 per cent even if every American prints a gun. Even lower if you know what sort of precautions to take!
So think of it this way: printed guns in America will add a new dimension of excitement in a way that won’t necessarily raise the likelihood of you coming home from your holiday in a body bag.
Until then, you can check out main street in your favourite US city knowing that someone in your immediate vicinity is likely to have a gun and perhaps an itchy trigger finger but limited in the number of shots he can squeeze off. (No need for the female pronoun here; the majority of mass murderers in the US are white men.)
Watch: Donald Trump suggests arming teachings with guns to prevent mass shootings
We need to be realistic, though. Sometimes there’s just no escape from a good ol’ American gunman.
Let’s say you end up getting shot even after you’ve cased your surroundings and identified the best exit. Consider that American emergency rooms are world class when it comes to gunshot wounds. Your chances of staging a full recovery are better in the US than anywhere else.
And who else among your friends can show off a scar proving that they’ve taken part in a quintessentially American experience?
Robert Delaney is the South China Morning Post's US bureau chief, based in New York