Chinese Thoughts About American Guns

The Chinese news has been reporting on the recent shootings in Connecticut with great interest. Indeed, one of my Chinese friends knew the details of the incident when I was just finding out what had happened. And that night, the TVs in the restaurant in which we ate showed in-depth coverage of the terrible event.

In China, private firearm ownership is outlawed entirely. Perhaps owing partly to the contrast between these strict gun laws and America’s lax ones, and partly to a view of America fed by Hollywood and popular culture, many Chinese have striking beliefs about gun ownership and use in the States. Even before the events in Connecticut this week, I had discussed violence in America with several teachers and friends here. I have heard the following views at least once:

1) American culture idolizes violence.

2) Video games, movies, and Internet resources such as YouTube, fuel violence.

3) The majority, perhaps the vast majority, of Americans own firearms.

4) Gun ownership in America is necessary for purposes of self-defense, or at least that this is how Americans justify gun ownership.

5) Guns are an easy tool for mentally unstable people to lay their hands on.

6) Surprise in that I do not personally own a gun.

7) Admiration for the Founding Fathers for bestowing on citizens the right to bear arms, and the belief that Chinese citizens should have the same rights, particularly to challenge their government.

Mere hours prior to the Connecticut shootings, an incident occurred here in China, in which a man entered an elementary school with a knife and injured 22 children. No one was killed. The contrast between the almost contemporaneous attacks is striking. The horrific events and death toll in Connecticut are still being splashed across news screens here and are a heady topic of conversation. Meanwhile, talk of the school stabbing on Chinese soil has faded already.

Taking a pulse from the few conversations I’ve had here on the subject, when it comes to guns I think that the Chinese see America as a nation with very serious problems. This is certainly not a surprise. When speaking with Chinese people about events like Newtown and Aurora, Colorado, I have at times felt as though they expect me to have special insight into the reasons and motivations behind them. As I’m not an adequate spokesman on the subject, this has been one of the few times when I have felt self-conscious about being an American citizen here.