Every country in the world has bigoted extremists and people with serious mental health issues that may drive them to violence. But in America, it is uniquely easy for one of these people to obtain a gun and carry out horrific tragedies like the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday. This is, in short, America’s gun problem. It’s why we see so many of these mass shootings on a regular basis. It’s why the US has so much gun violence in general compared to its developed peers. It comes down to two basic issues. First, America has uniquely weak gun laws. Other developed nations at the very least require one or more background checks and almost always something more rigorous beyond that to get a gun, from specific training courses to rules for locking up firearms to more arduous licensing requirements to specific justifications, besides self-defense, for owning a gun. In the US, even a background check isn’t a total requirement; the current federal law is riddled with loopholes and snared by poor enforcement, so there are many ways around even a basic background check. There are simply very few barriers, if any, to getting a gun in the US. Second, the US has a ton of guns. It has far more than not just other developed nations, but any other country period. Estimated for 2017, the number of civilian-owned firearms in the US was 120.5 guns per 100 residents, meaning there were more firearms than people. The world’s second-ranked country was Yemen, a quasi-failed state torn by civil war, where there were 52.8 guns per 100 residents, according to an analysis from the Small Arms Survey. Both of these factors come together to make it uniquely easy for someone with any violent intent to find a firearm, allowing them to carry out a horrific shooting. This is born out in the statistics. The US has nearly six times the gun homicide rate of Canada, more than seven times that of Sweden, and nearly 16 times that of Germany, according to United Nations data for 2012 compiled by the Guardian. (These gun deaths are a big reason America has a much higher overall homicide rate, which includes non-gun deaths, than other developed nations.) The research, compiled by the Harvard School of Public Health’s Injury Control Research Center, is also pretty clear: After controlling for variables such as socioeconomic factors and other crime, places with more guns have more gun deaths. Researchers have found this to be true not just with homicides, but also with suicides (which in recent years were around 60 percent of US gun deaths), domestic violence, and violence against police. As a breakthrough analysis by UC Berkeley’s Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkins in the 1990s found, it’s not even that the US has more crime than other developed countries. This chart, based on data from Jeffrey Swanson at Duke University, shows that the US is not an outlier when it comes to overall crime: Instead, the US appears to have more lethal violence — and that’s driven in large part by the prevalence of guns. “A series of specific comparisons of the death rates from property crime and assault in New York City and London show how enormous differences in death risk can be explained even while general patterns are similar,” Zimring and Hawkins wrote. “A preference for crimes of personal force and the willingness and ability to use guns in robbery make similar levels of property crime 54 times as deadly in New York City as in London.” This is in many ways intuitive: People of every country get into arguments and fights with friends, family, and peers. But in the US, it’s much more likely that someone will get angry at an argument and be able to pull out a gun and kill someone. Or in the case of Pittsburgh, America does not have a monopoly on bigots. What is unique about the US is that it makes it so easy for these bigots to obtain a gun. Researchers have found that stricter gun laws could help. A 2016 review of 130 studies in 10 countries, published in Epidemiologic Reviews, found that new legal restrictions on owning and purchasing guns tended to be followed by a drop in gun violence — a strong indicator that restricting access to guns can save lives. A review of the US evidence by RAND also linked some gun control measures, including background checks, to reduced injuries and deaths. That doesn’t mean that bigots and extremists will never be able to carry out a shooting in places with strict gun laws. Even the strictest gun laws can’t prevent every shooting. And guns are not the only contributor to violence. Other factors include, for example, poverty, urbanization, alcohol consumption, and the strength of criminal justice systems. But when researchers control for other confounding variables, they have found time and time again that America’s loose access to guns is a major reason the US is so much worse in terms of gun violence than its developed peers. So America, with its lax laws and abundance of firearms, makes it uniquely easy for people to commit massacres. Until the US confronts that issue, it will continue seeing more gun deaths than the rest of the developed world. For more on America’s gun problem, read Vox’s explainer.<doc-sep>When 11 people were killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday in one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history, people from all sides condemned the violence. Then the conversation quickly became familiar. The alleged synagogue shooter carried an assault-style rifle and three pistols, authorities said. His ability to bring those weapons into the synagogue unchallenged once again elicited questions about who is allowed to own a gun in America. The President quickly injected the role of armed protection into the debate. Different communities view these questions in vastly different ways, discussing them largely in echo chambers of those who share their geography, their political party, their newsfeed. This division is part of what TIME sought to address in its “Guns in America” project published just two days before the Pittsburgh shooting. TIME partnered with the artist JR to ask 245 Americans about their experiences with guns and invited them to share their stories and perspectives on how to find common ground. The resulting mural composed of 245 portraits was pasted on the Bowery Wall in New York City on Friday, meant as a testament to the goals of hearing one another and searching for understanding. Over the weekend, the mural was spray painted with the number 11 in blood red — an apparent reference to the individuals murdered in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Flowers were also placed at the base of the mural, making it a makeshift memorial. After the weekend’s events, we talked to two of the participants about how the “Guns in America” project informed their views and what they hope to see in the national gun conversation moving forward. Here is a conversation between Dianna Muller, a competitive shooter and former police officer from Tulsa, Okla. and Antong Lucky, a former gang member who now works to stop gun violence with Urban Specialists in Dallas. The interview has been edited for length. Guns in America TIME cover A TIME and JR Project Q: Let’s start by talking about the tragic shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday. What were each of your reactions when you heard about the shooting? Dianna Muller: I felt like I just got kicked in the gut. Just thinking about empathizing with the victims and the families and the people who saw it and lived through it and the things they had to see. … It was gut wrenching. And then on top of that, I know that as a gun owner that I am going to get attacked, that my gun rights are going to get attacked. My wish would have been that one, just one of them in that synagogue had been armed. Had there been one person that carried it could have most likely made such a difference and saved lives instead of losing so many at the hands of a mad man. Antong Lucky: I think for me it’s a stronger call and a message in terms of sensible gun regulation. In terms of making sure that we’re doing background checks and that people who shouldn’t have them [guns] or have a track record of spewing hate or mental problems or what have you, don’t have access to weapons. I think when you call for evaluations of people who are purchasing guns, I think that’s sensible. I do agree with Dianna that having someone armed could have changed that situation, but I also believe that we have to advocate for stronger sensible gun regulations and laws in terms of people who are able to purchase guns. Q: We wanted to let you know that the Guns in America mural that JR put up in New York City was spray painted this weekend with “11” — the number of people killed in yesterday’s shooting. Lucky: This project was meant to have a conversation where we’re not divided on the issues but where we’re finding common ground and willing to listen to another perspective other than our own. It really saddens me that someone mistook this project for their own personal or political reasons and not understanding that this project was meant to have a civil conversation and find some commonalities. Muller: When we were putting that [mural] up, I was telling my nephew, I said ‘I wonder how long it’s going to take for this to get vandalized.’ From my perspective, this is the misperception that gun owners or NRA members are somehow responsible for the 11 lives lost on Saturday. I have the 180 degree view on that. That the people who are advocating no guns and not supporting your individual right to protect yourself —I feel like those are the people who are responsible for those 11 lives lost. Q: Both of you came to this project to share your experiences with guns. But what were the most important things you came away from the project thinking about? Muller: I did have an opportunity last night to listen to a handful of stories and the one that sticks out was Congressman Swalwell out of California. He started out by saying to listen to the kids and the kids’ rights were more important than constitutional rights. And my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he said that. I couldn’t believe this is a member of Congress that is basically dismissing our Constitution over children’s fears and — I don’t know, it’s just scary to think that we aren’t dealing with stronger leadership to explain to the kids, to nurture the kids, to help the kids along and understand. If we feel like there’s an issue with school shootings and there is, let’s prepare them. Let’s actually do something to make them safer. (Note: Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, has proposed a ban on “military-style semiautomatic assault weapons” and said he would require owners of such firearms to sell them to the government or face prosecution. In response to Muller’s comments, Swalwell told TIME: “I think most parents in America, when they send their kids to school, want them to be able to learn without fear, come home after class, and believe that they should be able to live.<doc-sep>The Tree of Life Synagogue a day after a shooting left 11 people dead. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Eleven people are dead and six injured after a shooter — shouting that he wanted to kill Jews — opened fire during weekly services at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday morning. What happened? At 9:50 a.m. Saturday morning, a neo-Nazi gunman walked into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s predominantly Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood and shot everyone he could find, ultimately killing 11 people. The gunman, 46-year-old Robert D. Bowers, was armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle and three handguns, and police said he used all of the weapons during the attack. It seems Bowers may have targeted the synagogue looking to attack the Dor Hadash, a Reconstructionist congregation which rented space in the building, and had partnered with HIAS, a Jewish aid organization dedicated to assisting refugees. Bowers had published numerous posts about HIAS on the Gab social network, and appeared to ascribe to the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews were financially supporting an invasion of immigrants into the U.S. In particular, Bowers had frequently ranted about the caravan of Honduran migrants which President Trump and his allies on the right have been using to inflame the immigration debate and motivate Trump’s base ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Bowers had posted a list of HIAS’s partners on Gab, including Dor Hadash. At the time of the attack, Dor Hadash’s weekly Shabbat services were just getting underway at Tree of Life. Some of the people inside the synagogue ran after the shooting began, while others tried to hide from the shooter. Four minutes after the attack began, the first 911 call came in from someone inside the building, and dispatchers said that witnesses reported hearing as many 30 shots. Ten minutes after the attack began, at 10 a.m., the first responding police officers made it to Tree of Life. They immediately encountered Bowers, who was exiting the building as they arrived, and he and the two officers exchanged fire. One officer was shot in the hand, and the other received shrapnel wounds from broken glass. The officers, pinned down, reported that Bowers had an automatic weapon. Bowers then retreated back into the synagogue, and more officers, including a SWAT team, began to arrive. Almost 40 minutes after the attack began, at 10:29 a.m., the SWAT team entered the building and rescued two injured victims, who were both elderly. The SWAT team found spent magazines in the halls of the synagogue, as well as the people Bowers had killed. The FBI agent in charge of the scene later said it was “the most horrific crime scene I’ve seen in 22 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The SWAT team encountered Bowers on the third floor at 10:47 a.m., and he opened fire on them, shooting two officers multiple times, critically injuring one. The gunfight continued until was Bowers was cornered. More than an hour and 20 minutes after the attack began, officers convince Bowers to surrender and he is taken into custody. The gunman had been shot several times, and was taken for medical care. He survived his injuries. Authorities said that Bowers repeatedly shouted about his desire to kill Jews. “They’re committing genocide to my people,” he told police officers. “I just want to kill Jews.” Bowers was later charged more than 60 counts at the federal and state level related to the attack, including federal civil rights crimes and obstructing exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death. Pittsburgh’s public safety director, Wendell Hissrich, fought back tears when describing the scene to reporters on Saturday: #BREAKING: Suspect has surrendered. He is injured. Here is the scene just a few blocks away from the synagogue. At least 8 people killed @KDKA pic.twitter.com/AwhjC3iyH4 — Meghan Schiller (@MeghanKDKA) October 27, 2018 Who are the victims? Authorities released the names of the 11 victims on Sunday. Many were adult members of the New Light Congregation, and at least one was a member of Dor Hadash congregation. Both rented space at the Tree of Life synagogue after it could no longer afford its own. All of the victims were adults over the age of 50 and most were elderly. They are: Joyce Feinberg, 75 A retired researcher who studied learning in classrooms and museums at the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center, Feinberg raised her two children in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Richard Gottfried, 65 A dentist, Gottfriend was remembered Sunday for his generosity and willingness to “serve patients who did not have insurance or were underinsured,” the Times reports. THIS is Rich Gottfried. Sitting on our wood floor sharing his faith with our children. Will and I are eternally grateful for his LIFE. #TreeOfLifeShooting #pittsburghstrong #TreeOfLifeSynagogue #TreeOfLife pic.twitter.com/IJD7G3VWUN — PGH mom of 2 boys (@jeduffy) October 28, 2018 Rose Mallinger, 97 Mallinger had been attending services for decades and rarely missed any. She was well known in the Squirrel Hill community. Her daughter, Andrea Wedner, 61, was attending services with her on Saturday, and was injured in the attack. Rose Malinger will not be forgotten... May god bless her and her family. May her memory be a blessing to her family and everyone whose life she touched in her amazing life. pic.twitter.com/kGtjYhjNgk — chantal (@chantalkreviaz) October 29, 2018 Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 A well-known family physician at UPMC Shadyside. His practice partner since 1985, Dr. Ken Ciesielka, told the Post-Gazette that Rabinowitz was beloved by his patients and, “was one of the finest people I’ve ever met in my life. He had a moral compass stronger than anyone I have ever known.” In a Facebook post, a former patient wrote that Rabinowtiz was a compassionate doctor who treated HIV patients in the 90s without making them feel less-than-human. “He often held our hands (without rubber gloves) and always always hugged us as we left his office,” Michael Kerr wrote. Longtime patient of Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, who was killed in the synagogue shooting, tells me “Dr. R” treated everyone like they were his only patient. pic.twitter.com/4SQd3xtOjM — Erin Clarke (@ErinClarkeWPXI) October 28, 2018<doc-sep>Congressional Democrats immediately pushed for gun control measures following the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday that left at least 10 people dead. The suspect, identified as Robert Bowers, was reportedly armed with a rifle and several handguns. Bowers’ social media accounts were filled with anti-Semitic rhetoric and is said to have yelled “All Jews must die!” during the shooting. It’s unclear at this point how Bowers acquired his weapons, whether he passed a background check and whether any proposed legislation could have prevented the shooting. Even so, prominent Democrats took to social media to advocate for more restrictive gun legislation in response to the mass murder. “Congress is complicit—by its inaction—in this loathsome epidemic of gun violence,” Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote on Twitter. “I don’t want to arm synagogues and churches and schools. I want to live in a society where nazism and white supremacy crawls back in a hole and we have universal background checks,” wrote Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz. Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, currently in the midst of a competitive re-election race, slammed unnamed “opponents of common-sense gun safety” following Saturday’s mass murder. “Every time this happens, we’re shocked – and say it mustn’t happen again. When will opponents of common-sense gun safety work with us?” asked Nelson. “We need to get assault weapons off the streets and out of the hands of those who would do us harm.” “We need more than thoughts and prayers-we need action to stop these senseless deaths from gun violence,” wrote Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons. Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez called for “reasonable gun safety measures.” (RELATED: Democratic Congressman Says Bombing Suspect ‘Right Out Of Central Casting From A Trump Rally) President Donald Trump took the opposite approach, and said he wished the synagogue had an armed guard. “This would be a case for, if there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him. Maybe there would’ve been nobody killed except for [the gunman]… [but] this is a world with a lot of problems and it has been for many, many years,” Trump said. Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.<doc-sep>
Eleven people were killed and at least six more were injured -- including four police officers -- when a gunman opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday morning, authorities said. "It's a very horrific crime scene," Alleghany Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich told reporters during the press conference Saturday afternoon. "It's one of the worst that I've seen." Police responded earlier Saturday to reports of active gunfire at the Tree of Life Or L’Simcha congregation, where a service was taking place, Hissrich said. The suspect is in custody and has been taken to the hospital, Hissrich said. Eight men and three women were killed in the shooting, according to a criminal complaint. One of the four officers is in critical condition. The shooter has been identified as Robert Bowers, who is 46 years old and lives in Pittsburgh. Bowers use at least one assault rifle in the shooting and had three handguns on him. Bowers was charged with 29 federal counts late Saturday, including several hate crimes. He is facing 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder, four counts of obstruction of exercise of religious belief resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The four counts of bodily injury to a public safety officer stem from the police officers injured in the shooting. Bowers was not known to the FBI before Saturday, Bob Jones, the agency's special agent in charge, said during a press conference Saturday afternoon. He is believed to have acted alone, Jones added. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was in fair condition at a local hospital, Hissrich said. In addition to the federal charges, Bowers was also charged with 35 state offenses, including 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of criminal attempted homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation. The congregants were attending a baby-naming ceremony in the synagogue, Pennsylvania's state attorney general told the Associated Press. There were no children among the dead, Hissrich said. Jennifer Paddy said her daughter, who was staying at a friend's house near the synagogue, "heard rapid gunfire." "Her and her friend ... they ran downstairs and barricaded themselves in the basement," she told ABC affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh. Since the incident happened at a synagogue, it is being treated as a federal hate crime and will be handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with the assistance of local, county and state police, he added. The Anti-Defamation League said it was "unconscionable for Jews to be targeted during worship on a Sabbath morning." "This is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States," it said in a statement. First responders prevented the shooting from becoming a worse tragedy, and the injured have been taken to three area hospitals with level one trauma centers, Hissrich said. "Without their courage, this tragedy would have been far worse," said Hissrich said. Rabbi Alvin Berkun, who was not at the synagogue at the time, told ABC News he was "stunned" and "sorry" to hear of the shooting. He said he had stayed home from services Saturday morning because his wife was sick and that he has not heard from friends who were in the building. Berkun, who lives nearby the synagogue, said police officers came to his door and told him to stay inside his home. He described the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, where the synagogue is located, as "a very Jewish neighborhood" which is "known as a Jewish community." "There's absolutely no crime, it's an amazing neighborhood," Berkun said. "It's hard to believe it's a city neighborhood. It's dominated by the Jewish community center four blocks away ... by kosher bakeries -- all kinds of Jewish gift shops, bookshops, a number of synagogues." "There is one major synagogue but there are at least five other synagogues within two miles of where we are," he said. When the gunman opened fire at the synagogue, law enforcement officers, including agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) swiftly responded to the scene. The suspect was apprehended a short time later. The synagogue is a conservative Jewish congregation, according to its website, and there was a morning Shabbat service scheduled from 9:45 a.m. to noon.