Nicole Raz
WMAL
VIENNA, AUSTRIA (WMAL) — DC’s gun violence rate continues to rise along with the rest of the country’s—and it’s a problem that is altering perceptions of US safety abroad.
An Austrian man told WMAL he thinks he would feel unsafe in DC, or in many other urban areas in the states.
“I think it’s very dangerous in the US, because it’s easy to get to weapons,” he said.
A woman from Jordan visiting Vienna said she think it is safer to live in Jordan, where she cited thievery as a top safety concern, than the US.
“You don’t worry much about getting killed, so that’s better,” she said.
Many Europeans have a similar take on US gun laws, as a woman from Britain put it, “I think you’re mad with your gun laws.”
There are many ways to curb the gun violence problem, they said—several men and women suggested tightening restrictions on gun access as well as reducing the number of guns in circulation.
A study from 2014 found that the US population has almost half of the civilian-owned guns around the world.
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