Gun Violence History

Gun control is an extremely controversial issue in the United States, and the debates around this topic has started many decades ago. According to the article “Gun Rights vs. Gun control” by Brianna Gurciullo, these debates are fueled by the people who defend the gun rights and the people who advocate in favor of gun control. It has been difficult to prove that gun ownership is directly related to an increase in violence due to the fact that researches tend to disagree on the impact of gun ownership in the American society. These debates tend to be brought to the spotlight whenever there is a mass shooting in the United States, which according to Abbey Oldham, who is a reporter from the PBS News Hour, happens quite frequently. However, organizations, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), defend that the laws for gun control violate the Second Amendment of the constitution, which states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” stated Gurciullo. Due to the distinct interpretations of the constitution and the difficulty to agree on the best approach to tackle the issue, this controversy seem to be almost unsolvable.

The first guns used in America were a simple machine where the person did most of the work. The user measured and put the powder

A very controversial topic throughout the United States and the world is guns. As American citizens, we have a constitutional right to own a fire arm. But why is a gun so important and why is it such a huge part of the United States division of its people? The division starts with people using this Second Amendment to harm people. In recent years, mass shootings have become the norm for the United States and that outcome is not the purpose of the Second Amendment. These mass shooting happen everywhere from movie theatres to concert halls. But the majority of these mass shootings seem to happen at schools with innocent children aging from kindergarten to high school students. With the deaths of children in school rising, the urge to find a solution and develop prevention tactics have become top priority. Not only limiting the access to guns but finding out the reason behind the shootings will help aid in the fight to stop gun violence in schools.

On January 31, 2013, with the country still reeling in the wake of the Newtown School Massacre, Mallory Simon produced an essay and online video segment for CNN titled “Gun Debate: Where is the Middle Ground?” to facilitate discussion about gun violence and gun control. Simon makes a claim of policy stating that something needs to be done to prevent massacres in public places. The author is trying to get the general public to accept a position of tighter gun controls.

The issue of gun ownership and the argument for and against more laws to control gun ownership has been always very controversial. And, it seems that it is getting more and more serious with every school shooting or movie theater massacre in recent years. In his article “We the people confront Sandy Hook”, Semeiks is pointing out how the gun control measures have failed to pass again in Congress and explores the reasons behind that failure despite the fact that a very large number of Americans, including gun owners, support stronger gun control regulations. I find that this article brings out an interesting aspect behind the reluctance for stricter gun control laws: it is in the American

Charles W. Collier’s article, “Gun Control in America: An Autopsy Report”, dives into the controversial topic of gun ownership and gun control in the United States. He uses recent shootings, including the George Zimmerman case and the Connecticut elementary

The term “gun control” deals with the regulation of the selling, purchasing, and using of firearms in America. The availability of firearms to the public has been causing serious debates around the country because of the diversity in the people’s cultures, judgment, and religions. Many people thought the provision set by the Second Amendment when it was ratified can perfectly be applied in the society today. However, the understanding of people about the Second Amendment and how they interpret it change over time. They cannot agree with each other about the meaning of the historical evidence (Karlan, 2013). Research and polls found that people in the rural areas tend to support the right of gun owners while those in urban areas encourage gun control. Due

    The first recorded school shooting in America dates back to 1764, during Pontiac’s war. Since then, hundreds have occurred, claiming many lives. In the modern era, the rarity of these events has been steadily decreasing, which may be a cause of the confusion that surrounds gun laws and regulations. The new debate over this issue in likely due to one of the worst school shootings in recent years- Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Since that event, over 150 shootings have occurred on school campuses. To deal with these tragic occurrences, the government has opened the debate on gun laws and regulations. But this debate often leads to officials being unable to make up their minds or whole groups of people

The gun control movement in the US has made significant gains in recent years with the implementation of stricter restrictions on gun ownership. The movement emerged from concerns over incidents of gun violence in the US. The US Constitution protects the personal right to bear arms. As such, the gun control movement has been facing resistance from the pro-gun rights advocates, and has not been able to influence major reforms until recently (Luca, Malhotra & Poliquin, 2016). The Parklands shooting that left several school children and their teachers dead is one of the incidences that have shifted the power balance between the gun control movement and the pro-gun rights activists. Incidents of gun shooting are characterized by strong emotions and outbursts against gun ownership in the US. People are demanding accountability by gun dealers and owners on use of firearms. Gun owners have

Guns are one of the first things that people turn to, but what they don't know is that it eventually backfires and changes their future. For example: when Davy shoots Finch and Baska the first thing he turns to is a gun, not once does he think about talking to them about what's going through their heads,instead he shoots then and will eventually end up in jail for his actions. Guns are also a symbol of peace making.He shot them because the Land family was a nice calm family until Finch and Baska can and stirred everything up, so Davy shot them so PEACE could come once again.

When the trend seemed to favor gun control, the like the deviant shown in 1993, then the result is the passing of the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban. To fast forward to the tragic events in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary and looking at the numbers for a comparison at public opinion, both sides seem to be equal on where they stand. To draw the comparison to Robert Spitzer’s views:

Violence in all sorts of ways has been relevant since the beginning of time. It is human nature to be violent and in the last decade there have been an uproar in mass shootings. These mass shootings have prompted anti-gun advocates to crusade against lawful gun ownership. In 2012, ¨Adam Lanza, 20, kills 26 people, including 20 children, and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, prompting calls for gun control reform("Chronology”). The Sandy Hook shooting really brought the issue of gun control to the media. Another example is when ¨A mentally disturbed student at Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) kills 32 people, including himself, and injures several others in an on-campus shooting rampage (“Chronology”). This is again another incident that has happened by the use of firearms. As always, the media plays a big part in how people view the role of firearms in these incidents. People that are not gun owners automatically think that guns are bad. This is not true. The media only shows the bad part of guns, but never will the media have news about an incident where someone used a gun to save lives. The origin of this problem is fairly new, and there have been many attempts to put restrictions on firearms. ¨A variety of gun control measures are proposed, mainly by congressional Democrats, but none have enough political support to pass” (“Chronology”). The only restrictions that have been put in

Gunpowder was first used in China but it is unknown where it was created. It was original used in fireworks but when they started selling it Europe. In Europe is where the first gun was made. It was a really simple design, it was called “The Hand Cannon” because it was the same as a cannon. The default is that it was heavy and hard to aim. Then later they created the musket that had a little hammer that would strike some flint and the gunpowder would ignite. After that guns really just took off.

Gun control in today's society has affected many aspects in the world; whether it be political aspects, social aspects, media aspects, or physiological aspects. Research has been conducted and it was found that individuals who agree to the use of guns often develop negative attitudes towards many aspects of life, such as the availability to discover something for themselves by absorbing what goes on in the world and the use of internet which shows gun control as a potential reducer of violent behavior. As for the other side of this argument, the opponents who agree with gun control often are independents who see firearms as a part of their social and cultural identities which they do not wish to back down. Gun control has been a huge topic that Americans have debated on. One side of the debate thinks it is necessary to have stricter control on guns while the other side feels that there should not be any changes in the use of gun control. The side that wants stricter guns believes it is a safer idea due to the fact of school shootings and terrorism. Another aspect of this debate is the fact that Americans have easy access to guns. Some people believe that this easy access allows individuals who psychological state is not at its best to purchase firearms and potentially carry out violence with the possession of such a weapon. Individuals on either side of the debate have their own supportive reasons for taking a stance on this issue. The

Before the discussion begins on the creation of the firearm, its evolution and its overall contribution to war and combat, we must acknowledge its very origins; gunpowder. The origins of gunpowder trace back to the nation of China, it “ironically was created in the quest for immortality/around A.D. 850” (Whipps, “How Gunpowder Changed the World”). Though it was intended for an alternative purpose, this newfound explosive powder was soon incorporated into China 's weaponry and also became the leading factor in how weapons came to be created. To give insight on the composition of gunpowder, also known as black powder, this powdered substance is composed of three substances, charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter. The charcoal that’s in gunpowder is a “fuel” which means that its sole purpose is to be burned (Helmenstine,”Gunpowder Facts and History”). But the burning of charcoal itself obviously isn’t enough to produce that explosive property that gunpowder is known to have, when burning charcoal “the reaction would be slow, like a wood fire” (Helmenstine, “Gunpowder Facts and History”). Saltpeter, also known as “potassium nitrate” is the oxidizing agent that exists in gunpowder. An oxidizing agent in terms of combustible substances is simply a chemical compound that produces “extra oxygen” in order to strengthen/increase the rate at which the overall substance burns (Helmenstine, “Gunpowder Facts and History”). In the case of gunpowder, saltpeter (potassium nitrate) feeds oxygen to