Mass Shooting Research Paper

Even if a mentally ill person is banned from buying a gun, there is still another means for them to obtain one. The Times Editorial Board (2016) backed themselves by typing, “The gunman who shot and killed five people in Santa Monica three years ago was banned from owning a gun, so he bought the parts and made his own.” (p. 2). Marcotte (2015) brought up the fact that, “There are as many guns as people in this country, and fully a third of people are armed. Even when shootings happen in gun-happy places, where armed people are sure to be nearby, this vigilante scenario simply doesn't work.” (p. 2). Although there are so many guns in America, mass shootings still happen and are not easily preventable because not everyone arms themselves. Marcotte (2015) also later reports, “A lot of Americans who struggle with mental health are undiagnosed, though, and putting them on a government list that restricts their rights is not a great inducement to get a diagnosis.” (p.

“Guns don’t kill people, people do.” This is a well known statement that is oftentimes considered true. However, it is not completely true. Someone who is mentally ill may be unable to make logical decisions and the perception they receive of reality may be tainted by the illness. Gun laws pertaining to those suffering mental illnesses should be more restrictive. Weapons such as guns make committing an act of violence, especially when there are multiple victims, much easier. It is difficult to assess the probability of a person to commit a violent act that harms anyone including himself/herself. Therefore, gun laws need be monitored very closely and made more consistent throughout each state in order to prevent violence that could

I'm hurt and sickened by the actions of this man. As we stand by and watch the biggest mass shooting in American history unfold, there are a few things we need to remember.

Since 1982, there have been over 85 mass shootings in the United States. Of those 85 shootings, three quarters of the weapons used were obtained legally. That means that our background check system has failed. If purchasers were required to undergo a mental health evaluation, numerous lives would be saved. Many mass shooters have shown previous signs of mental instability. Take Jared Loughner, the man who opened fire at a public constituent meeting in a Tucson, Arizona supermarket parking lot wounding 13 people and killing 6. Loughner had been showing signs of mental illness for years. He was even suspended from college for disrupting class and showing bizarre behavior. The college told him he needed to be cleared by a mental health professional before he could return. Instead, Loughner dropped out of school. In addition to his disruptions at school, he had many run ins with law enforcement. In fact, on the day of the shooting,

Society has seen and experienced mass shootings over the last decade and more frequently as of recent. There have been mass shooting in malls, schools, military bases, movie theaters, and even churches. The shooting in South Carolina was not the first mass shooting to occur in a church. It may even seem that a number of mass shootings has increased over the years. Many have been quick to rush to judgment when these shooting have occurred and have led to overgeneralization, selective and inaccurate observation and illogical reasoning. Everything from guns, race, prior criminal history, lack of armed security, and a flag have been blamed for the violence that has occurred from those who

One of the key reforms in gun control calls for thorough background checks, which would be critical in stopping mentally ill people from simply purchasing firearms. Although Lanza did not purchase the weapons he used in the shooting, it shows that anyone has the ability to get their hands on a gun if their desire is strong enough. It also is not proven what prompted Lanza to shoot 26 innocent people, but for those who suffer from such mental disorders is still able to obtain guns without hardly any setbacks. Thus, mental illness is a significant topic in relation to gun

A school shooting is an attack on an educational institution such as elementary, middle school, high school. A school shooting is caused by mental illness or the past of family problem or violence in school. More than 187,000 children have been exposed to gun violence at school (3). The problem is what causes a school shootings or gun violence in schools.

No one needs hundreds of gun such as the criminals of a mass shooting across the U.S. It is imperative that the criminal justice system enforce laws to limit the amount of gun ownership per person. Although, NICS laws are in place to prohibit a person who has mental illness from purchasing guns, there are other ways a person with mental illness can obtain high capacity guns. The black market supplies gun to anyone regardless of a person’s mental conditions. The seller isn’t required to conduct a background check since he/she is selling guns illegally and he/she is only interesed in payment (money) for goods

The first reason why the government should restrict gun ownership is because the mentally ill can get a hold

Connecticut is one of the nation’s most strictly gun laws, including a well through out background check for potential gun owners, but even with added strict regulations did not stop Adam Lanza from stealing a gun and killing nearly 20 children, a few adults’ staff members, and later on taking his own life at Sandy Hook elementary, and with a well through out Investigations, reporters concluded that Adam Lanza, had a history of mental illness that was far untreated, but diagnosed. This is not to say that most gun violence are primarily based on known mental illness being a

In 2015 alone, there were over 350 mass shootings (Zahriyeh). Many of these shooters are mentally ill. About 60% of people committing mass shootings in the US since 1970 displayed symptoms of mental illness (Follman). In addition to mass shootings, suicides are a very serious issue. If a suicidal person has a gun, they are likely to die, considering that 85% of suicide attempts with firearms are successful (Drexler). A gun in the hands of someone who is mentally ill can cause extremely negative outcomes. Unfortunately, mental illness is not being treated as well as it needs to be to prevent this and not all mentally ill people seek help. The mentally ill usually end up in prison rather than a hospital which causes more psychological damage

“We will keep guns out of the wrong hands, enforce our guns laws, and ensure those with serious mental illnesses get treatment”, President Obama stated in January of 2016. Gun Violence has become one of the leading causes of death in the United States resulting in over 32,000 fatalities every year(US National Library of Medicine). For years, politicians have been contemplating methods of gun control in order to reduce gun violence. Republicans have argued that prohibiting mentally ill individuals from purchasing guns is a violation of their second amendment right, whereas advocates of stricter gun laws support President Obama’s regulation to keep guns out of the hands of those who have applied of Social Security benefits through mental illness and those who are incapable of managing their own finances. As President Obama stated that guns must be kept out of the ‘wrong hands’, various arguments have risen over which specific group of people ‘wrong’ refers to. Many consider gun violence to be the action of using firearms to harm others, however a majority of gun violence by mentally ill individuals have resulted in suicide and self harm; more than 90% of those who die from suicide are diagnosed with a Mental Disorder( Mental Health Reporting, University of Washington). Although some may argue that prohibiting mentally ill and disabled people from owning guns is an infringement of their second amendment right, mentally ill people should not be allowed to purchase guns in order

Just last week in Sutherland Springs, Texas a devastating mass shooting occurred at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs killing 26 and injuring 20 churchgoers. This attack devastated the small town of 700 residents and got many wondering what do we do to prevent attacks like this in the future. Some news reports blamed the issue of gun control relating back to last month’s mass shooting in Las Vegas. But other focused on the assailant Devin Kelley, mainly his mental health. The Washington Post reported “…an escape from a mental health facility in 2012 after he was caught sneaking guns onto an Air Force base ‘attempting to carry out death threats’ against military superiors (Rosenberg et al, “Texas church gunman escaped mental health facility”), unlike the Post, who gave a full background on Kelley, many made connections with the attack to his mental state. Just a few days after the attack Trump stated, “I think that mental health is your problem.”(Baker, “Trump Says Issue Is Mental Health” ), this also happened when news outlets reported the Las Vegas shooting. Gun supporters frequently use mental health to explain the occurrences of mass shootings. Because of domestic violence charges, David Kelley was prohibited from purchasing guns. Now you may be wondering what is the problem. The news is just trying to give an explanation onto why this atrocious attack happened. To answer your question, when news jumps on the story they ordinarily check the perpetrator’s history

America is in crisis with the current rise of mass shootings. Many times society will use mental illness as a scapegoat for what the shooters did. One must wonder if it is in fact the mental illness a person has or just society’s view of the mentally ill that brings people to the conclusion that the mentally ill are the perpetrators of mass shootings. The perception is that the mentally ill are unstable, not understood and perhaps not cognizant of their actions or in touch with reality. These ideas influence society to fear the mentally ill and in turn blame them for heinous actions that could not possibly be considered behavior of someone sane. Society may need to contemplate some other reasons one may commit mass shootings to begin to truly understand the complex dilemma that is plaguing our country and avoid the continuance of such actions in the future. One of the best ways to figure out how America’s future is going to unfold is to look at how America got to the point where it is today and how that affects Americas tomorrow.

With tragedies such as the Las Vegas shooting and the shooting at a Texas church, many people have discussed the issue of how to stop these acts of violence. Many believe the answer is more gun control. Many also believe that the shooters were mentally ill at the time of the shooting. Gun control and mental illness are both controversial topics, but more regulations will not solve the problem. There are regulations that are currently in place for specific instances. So to say that more regulation is need would be overkill. Regulating the sale of guns for private use is important, but regulating the purchase of guns due to mental health not only violates second amendment rights, but it also violates the owner’s right to privacy. To better understand gun control regulations for those with a mental illness, we first have to understand each component. Let’s start with