On Wednesday, February 14, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The mass shooting killed 17 people and injured at least 20 others, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz -- a former student at the school -- was identified as the suspected shooter, according to Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. Cruz had an AR-15 and multiple magazines in his possession, according to Israel.
The shooting tragedy has reopened a conversation about gun control laws and regulations in the United States. Many politicians and public figures are advocating for stronger gun control laws, while others feel more needs to be known about the shooter’s motives before considering policy changes.
As of April 2017, there were more than 5 million registered weapons in the United States, including machine guns, short barreled rifles and silencers – devices which muffle the sound of a gunshot. The federal government classifies silencers as firearms, even though they cannot shoot bullets themselves.
According to the Firearms Commerce in the United States, Florida has the third highest number of registered weapons in the country, behind Texas and California.
To be exact, there are 343,288 registered firearms in Florida. The state has 85,998 silencers and 181,734 “destructive devices,” which could be bombs, grenades, explosives or poison gas. 36,194 machine guns and 27,092 short barreled rifles were registered in the state by April 2017.
More than 7,300 federal firearm licenses have been issued in Florida. The number is slightly higher in California (7,745) and almost 11,000 in Texas.
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See a visual breakdown of registered weapons in the United States below:
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