An American family decides to move to Spain after discovering what we don’t have here and what is abundant in the U.S.

The unrestricted possession of firearms in the United States causes many shootings every year. In the first three months of 2025, the country has recorded 64 mass shootings, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. This problem is so severe that some people have decided to leave the country and move to safer places.

This is the case of Luna Ashley Santel and her family. Originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, the couple grew up normalizing the use of firearms and their presence in public spaces, until they arrived in Spain and realized they needed to leave their country.

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Parents of a 5-year-old girl, the three of them were walking down a busy street in Barcelona when they noticed they felt unsafe surrounded by so many people. “There are so many people walking. Coming from Saint Louis, it’s not a very comfortable place for me,” explained Luna’s husband.

However, they soon realized they were in no danger and began to think that they had lived their whole lives with a fear of firearms, since in Saint Louis, it is common to see them in both private and public spaces.

“And I realized that this weight I had carried my whole life was unnecessary. It was as if what we think is normal isn’t actually normal,” she says.

Luna, who had been a teacher in her hometown, admits she doesn’t want to send her daughter to an American school, because she worries that her daughter might normalize the presence of firearms.

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“It’s not something I want my 5-year-old to accept or learn as normal,” she says in a TikTok video on her account, @lunanearandfar.

Regulation in Missouri and Spain

The gun regulations in Missouri and Spain are completely different. While in Spain, carrying a handgun for self-defense is allowed under a probable threat, it is still very difficult to obtain a permit. In Missouri, no permit is required for firearms, and they can be carried either concealed or openly.

Furthermore, while Spain registered a firearm mortality rate of 0.1 in 2022, the United States had a rate of 6.51, with 45,222 deaths according to Amnesty International.