Every time something awful and violent happens in Germany, I am surprised. At this point, I've become pretty desensitized to violent acts that happen here in the US; gun violence hardly makes the news anymore. But I always felt safe when I was in Germany. Even if I was lost. Even the time my train got in after the last tram and I had to walk 2.5 miles home at 2 am. Even riding the train from Dresden to Arnsdorf with the ultra fans of Dyanmo Dresden.
That's why I get upset when acts of violence happen in Germany. It does help that the media there actively tries to combat speculation. Last night, when American and British sources were announcing ties to ISIS, German media were saying that it was too early to draw any conclusions and Berliner politicians were asking people to stop speculating.
Even though these large acts of violence happen in Europe, where Germany's year started with assaults outside the train station in Cologne and is ending with a truck driving through a Christmas market in Berlin, overall, it's not a dangerous place. One should always keep their wits about when travelling, but overall, you're much less likely to be injured in a mass attack there than in the United States.
The one thing that always makes me feel safe in Germany is the gun laws; they are much stricter than in the US. Although many Germans own guns, automatic and semiautomatic weapons are more strictly regulated. There is also not a guaranteed right of gun ownership there. You can read more about German gun laws here. Gun violence has been trending downwards for quite some time; if you're frightened of gun violence you're much better off there than in the US.
Germany also tends to respond to violence with common-sense solutions. In Erfurt, for example, they put up concrete barriers to stop someone from driving through the market there. Following gun violence, gun laws have historically been restricted.
Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt wird mit Botonsperren geschützt. #breitschreidplatz pic.twitter.com/58Uo4Rc0qT— ZDF Thüringen (@ZDFerfurt) December 20, 2016
- 12:59 PM
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