Richard Harwood

In the following viewpoint, Richard Harwood reports on a study that found that although crime rates in the United States are similar to the crime rates in other Western countries, the murder rate in the United States is much higher. The study’s authors contend that the easy availability of guns accounts for the higher murder rates. Encounters between victim and victimizer can quickly turn deadly when a gun is handy, Harwood asserts. Harwood is a syndicated columnist.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How many Americans have been murdered since 1980, according to Harwood?
2. What is the homicide rate per 100,000 people in the United States, as cited by the author?
3. How does murder affect society, according to Harwood"

Americans have invested a great deal of wealth and effort in this century to keep death at...