Mass Shootings: A Case Study

“Shooting massacres” in school settings, a new phenomenon within the past 50 years, are extremely rare events. Over 23 years, 1990-2012, 215 fatal school shooting incidents resulted in 363 deaths, equivalent to 0.12% of national firearm homicides during that time period …… Among these, just three shooting rampages – Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University, and Sandy Hook Elementary School – accounted for 72 (53.3%) of these 135 deaths. The frequency of random/ rampage shooting incidents in schools has remained within the narrow range of 0 to 3 episodes per year.” (Shultz, et al., 2013, p. 84)

The proposal to the problem focus on mass shootings specifically, not gun violence in general, although the potential solutions to mass shootings would do much to prevent gun violence as a whole. Mass shootings represent a mere 2% of gun-related deaths, yet the sheer horror, shock, and scale of carnage tend to capture the public’s attention so much more so than the typical shooting homicide or suicide, which are seemingly ubiquitous in news reports these days. The big issue with solving the problem of mass shootings is the variety of factors involved with the shooters’ motivations to kill.

The occurence of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman, was 20-year-old Adam Lana, who first shot and killed his mother at their Newtown home. He then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School where he fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members. As first responders arrived, Lana committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The shooting began at approximately 9:30 a.m. Sandy Hook was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S. history and the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person in U.S. history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. This shooting yet again assured the nation that gun violence is still as big of a problem as it was back in the late 90’s when 27 teenagers got killed in another mass killing in Columbine, Colorado. We as a nation must stand up and oppose mass murdering because these actions are not only unjust but inhuman as well.  The increase in gun violence can be decreased by, identifying the regions in the country where the most gun violence occurs and restricting their access to limiting or monitoring the availability of guns and ammunition.

A major concern in the United States is why mass shootings occur and what needs to be done to stop them from happening. Mass shootings have gained a significant amount of attention in 2015. Within the year, a total of 372 mass shootings have occurred in the United States killing 475 people and wounding 1,870. Mass shootings have become a popular trend within the media and have given the impression that it is the new normal. Mass shootings are a dysfunction to society, due to the fact that they create horror and tragedy within the country. Schools, shopping malls, and even movie theatres have all endured the horrific violence. Mass shootings are nothing new, however, they seem to be occurring more often and are becoming more and more violent. The three leading factors to mass shootings are problematic masculinity, mental illness, and gun control.

United States history of deadly massacres. Gun violence has always been a hot topic because of constant crimes involving firearms over the years. Recent history has alluded even more debate to possibly create or reform even more gun laws. In the story of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the New York Times addressed what had happened. This shooting killed twenty six people, twenty in which were children ranging from the ages of five to ten years old. Adam Lanza, who ended up committing suicide, was identified as the gunman who was armed with semiautomatic pistols and a semiautomatic rifle. Another example is from the Los Angeles Times that covered a 2012 Colorado shooting in a movie theater. The gunman, suspected to be James E. Holmes, killed twelve people and injured dozens more in the shooting in a packed movie theater in Aurora. Authorities said Holmes was dressed in full body armor and used a form of tear gas on the crowd before opening fire with multiple guns. In addition, the most recent shooting occurred on May 2014 in Isla Vista near the University of Santa Barbara. This shooting resulted in seven deaths, thirteen wounded, and the murderer himself a gunshot wound to his head. He used three semiautomatic handguns and more than four hundred rounds of ammunition at his side. The recent history of shooting massacres is only a sample size of the whole history of gun violence in

Since 1982, at least sixty-two mass shootings have occurred, thirty-two of them since 2006. (Aronsen). Jared Loughner was sentenced to life in prison after shooting nineteen people in January of 2011. Last July, fifty-eight people were shot and twelve killed while watching the new Batman movie in a theater in Colorado. In December, twenty-six people were murdered, including twenty first-graders, in a Connecticut elementary school (Follman). The issue of gun violence only becomes relevant after a horrific event such as these, then fades from public concern after about two weeks. The number of injuries and murders using guns in the United States is a large number, which can hopefully be

14, 2012. 20 lives were taken away between the ages 6-7 including 6 staff members by 20-year old Adam Lanza ( David Morgan). The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was one of the worst shootings in U.S. history that prompted the controversial debate over gun control and whether there should be safer regulations on guns. Similarly, six years after the tragic shooting of the Sandy Hook, The Parkland, FL sought the same experience of an active shooter Nicholas Cruz 19-year old, contributing to the lost of 17 lives. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students took action by protesting the rights to a stricter gun legislation that should have been enacted to protect the lives of students all around and stop the massive school shootings by letting the hands of the mentally disabled gain access to destructive weapons and cause fatal consequences at the end (“How Many More School Shootings”). Therefore, due to the series of school shootings gun laws should be

“The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot twenty children and six adult staff members” ("Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting"). “It was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S. history and the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person in America”("Screening Sandy Hook"). Several families lost a loved one all due to someone 's selfishness to provoke harm to many innocent lives. “At some point before he went to the school, investigators believe Adam Lanza, killed his mother, Nancy Lanza” ("Sandy Hook Shooting:

The mental health system in The United States is flawed and needs serious reform. Many of the mentally ill are failing to seek the help that they need and deserve in a country like the U.S is baffling and must be reassessed. The system causes a rise in gun violence and more specifically, mass shootings. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when approaching mental disorders and their correlation with mass shootings. Things such as type of mental disorder, the widespread diagnosis in the US, masculinity in men, and gun laws themselves. This research was done through a series of articles, interviews, and books. Mental disorders need to be taken largely into consideration when trying to find a cause for a shooting, and

On December 14, 2012, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in the little town of Newton, Connecticut. The shooter, twenty-year-old Adam Lanza, managed to kill twenty children ages six and seven, as well as 6 adult staff members within just eleven minutes. According to New York Daily News, “the shooter stormed the…school…and fired a total of 154 rounds.” “All but two of the 26 students and staffers massacred in [sic] at Sandy Hook Elementary School died from ‘multiple gunshot wounds,’ according to death certificates released (Hutchinson.)” As horrifying as this incident may seem, it is not isolated. There have already been 186 mass shootings this year

Admittedly, the amount of mass shootings in America is still going on onto this day, as last week, California had a recent one, carried out by a couple with assault grade weapons. Thus, this topic was brought up countless time on the news, what could be done. I believe pretending is part of the problem. These things happen over and over again and yet we do nothing and pretend it won’t happen again. Changing nothing and then believing something will change is a ludicrous ideology. This same ideology is being used by many Americans, we are given examples of other place throughout the world on how they turn their country gun problem around, similar to Australia, yet we pretend we don’t notice just like we pretend we don't notice our country's

News coverage reported that Adam and his family always had guns in their home. His family would regularly go to local shooting ranges for leisure. Lanza's parents separated in 2001 when he was 9 years old and lived with his mother. Adam's mother had a pistol permit and would take Adam to National Rifle Association rifle courses. She had a big influence on his obsession and access to guns. All of the guns and ammunition from the shooting scene and his home were purchased by his mother. It has been speculated whether or not Adam's mother was a victim in this shooting or if she was to blame. As indicated in the Sandy Hook Final Report, Adam "had an interest in mass murders and serial killing" (Sedensky III, 2013). He had a huge obsession with school shootings, particularly Columbine. When the FBI investigated Adam's house, they discovered he had written violent e-mail expressing his obsession with guns, killing, and mass shootings. He had collected news articles on school shootings and photographs of corpses. He collected statistical data on "mass murders over the years listing information about each shooting" (Sedensky III, 2013). Table 3.12 displays the statistics of the 12 deadliest mass shooting events in the United

Mass shootings have become an upcoming trend, all over the country. Shopping centers, schools, churches, and even movie theaters have seen the violent mass shootings lately. People ask how we can stop the violence, but most don’t know where to start.

Sandy Hook Elementary, Charleston, Umpqua Community College, and Virginia Tech. These names spark fear into those who have witnessed the outrage of Gun Violence in America. Nearly Eighty people die of gun-related deaths each day. It is true that stricter gun laws would not have abolished these incidents, but there is a high chance that stricter measures could have prevented a majority of these incidents, and minimized the number of casualties involved. The culture of violence in America has gotten out of control, therefore the Second Amendment should be repealed.

Six survivors of the Columbine High School shooting recount their experiences and describe how the tragedy still impacts their lives. Nineteen years later, survivors live with PTSD, anger, and helplessness. A student at the time, Jami Amo, still struggles with anxiety while out in public and tries to avoid closed-in public spaces. Andy McDonald was seventeen when tragedy struck his school. He wrestles with feeling as if he could have done more with his life but just day-to-day living takes precedence. Some of the interviewees expressed both concern and admiration for the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Amo hopes they are being watched over and getting the help they need as they advocate for an end to school shootings. She wonders what is different from her school shooting that makes the Parkland students able to become activists.