title:  U.S. Ambassador: British School Children View U.S. As Synonymous With Gun Violence
text: Mathew Barzun, the United States ambassador to Britain, just delivered some devastating analysis regarding British schoolchildren s views of the U.S. Barzun explained during a radio interview, that British children associate the U.S. with gun violence to the point where the two ideas are virtually synonymous.Part of Barzun s job is to go to schools where he talks to British youth about American culture. During his three years, he has spent serving as an ambassador, Barzun has visited 142 schools. He laments the fact that he is routinely questioned by those he speaks with about topics such as gun violence, police brutality, and Donald Trump. I find it hard to explain our nation s idea of freedom,  Barzun says about American gun culture.  How we won our freedom from this country with guns. And that, until a group of people decide to make this [gun control] their issue number one, two and three, we will remain stuck. It isn t hard to believe that a nation that has put in place effective measures to diminish gun violence and police brutality cannot understand how the U.S cannot do the same thing.It is a travesty that children around the world are growing up with this strong association between the U.S. and gun violence. Though I am not surprised by it. I agree that people need to step up and make gun violence a more important issue. That being said, I think it is also important that people stand up and demand an end to the corporate takeover of the United States government. Until we can stop the NRA from buying our elected leaders, such organizers will hold us hostage indefinitely.Featured image from Carl Court/Getty Images