Did you know that over the course of 18 years U.S gun related homicides have dropped 39 percent, but in recent years we have noticed a large increase in mass shootings? What is a mass shooting defined as? Mass shootings are defined as a public attack in which the shooter and the victims are generally unknown to each other and four or more people are killed. “Harvard studies show that mass shootings are occurring on average every 64 days and during the previous 29 years, mass shootings occurred on average every 200 days” (Ansari). Americans tend to put the blame to lack of gun control, but the reality is, it 's not a lack of gun control. People in today 's society are able to access guns illegal through loopholes and not just guns, any kind of weapon. How do we truly look at the reality of the reason why mass shootings occur? We truly can 't without getting inside the mind of a killer. Our government sees that if we can put a control on guns we will see a decrease in violence, but when we made marijuana illegal do you think everyone said "oh look it 's illegal we shouldn 't smoke it" no! The same goes for guns, no matter what laws are in place people still get guns. Those who support the second amendment and the NRA (National Rifle Association) are not the ones to put the blame on for these shootings. The reality behind mass shootings is the anger problems in a person, how faulty our background check system is, and an increase in media output.
When you see these shooters
The problem with society, is that people tend to wait for the problem to occur before making a change. Troubled children and teens have always existed but unfortunately now we’ve entered into an era where shootings are no longer just seen in action movies, it has now become a reality in our schools. Why do these children end up killing their classmates and why the number of school shootings in America have increased in the past several years? These articles try to give some kind of explanation into why these tragic accidents occur. As well as preventions that teachers, parents, and the community as a whole can partake in. This paper will focus on these two main ideas or themes.
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.
Has the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill led to the increase of mass shootings experienced in the US? According to Lankford, several reports suggest that up to 60% of offenders of mass shootings in the US since 1970, exhibited symptoms including depression, delusions, and acute paranoia prior to the commission of their crimes. Further statistics have shown that since 1982, there have been at least 71 public mass shooting across the country; with 34 of these mass shooting having occurred since 2006. A recent analysis of the database by researchers at Harvard University corroborated by a recent FBI study concluded that mass shootings have been on the rise. More than half of the cases involve school or workplace shootings, 12 and 20
When we hear the words mass shooting, most of us immediately pause and begin to think the worst. We are filled with sorrow that soon turns to anger as details of the event emerge. A portion of the population immediately begins to call for more gun regulation and the battle is staged again. This scenario plays out in the media and in the legislative halls around the country and seems to occur on a much too frequent basis. Has the frequency of mass shootings actually increased? Or has technology allowed the media to convey stories within minutes of their occurrence giving the appearance of increasing crime? Many people believe the term mass shooting and inner city are almost synonymous
The mass shooting has become a big issue in the United States. After shootings like the one that happened in Newtown, Connecticut all Americans come together to look for ways to actually prevent mass shootings to happened. “Mass shootings are defined as the killing of four or more victims Rates of Mass shootings have risen dramatically in the last few years. Since 2006, there have been more than 200 mass killing in the United States.” (Usatoday.com) Due to the big increase in mass shootings a question is still debatable. Are these mass shootings due to environmental factors or genetics?
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
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
"I'm angry someone would do this to us. There are lives ruined, families ruined, and our whole school year is ruined" (Brackely 1). Casey Brackely, once a student that attended Columbine High School, remembers the tragedy of the horrific Columbine shooting that killed and injured many students. Mass shootings in the United States have been on the rise since the 1980’s, especially in the last decade. These shooters motives and profiles are almost all terrifyingly alike. Many of these shooters try to imitate and parallel the tragic shooting of the Columbine High School in 1999. These shootings have made peaceful organizations, such as an elementary school; become a place of violence and death. Currently, in the United States, an epidemic of
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
November 8, 2015 was day 312 of the 365 in a year. November 8 was also the day of mass shooting number 325 in the United States. This shows that there have been more shootings than days in our year so far. People are being affected in almost all 50 states.
In the United States, mass shootings have been an issue for decades. The latest being the Las Vegas shooting where 58 people were killed and 546 people were injured. This is just one of many examples of the shootings that have taken place within this nation. Statistics from CNN also show that in the last ten years, four of the five deadliest shootings have occurred. (Willingham, Ahmed) The lack of strictness which the United States has on the ability to obtain guns gives leeway for these incidents to happen. When thinking about the safety of the citizens of the nation, one can argue that there needs to be better policies put in place to ensure fewer deaths which are caused by gun violence. While many can argue the Second Amendment prevents
As a result of the Las Vegas Massacre, people are demanding political action to be taken. Mass shootings have been almost too regularly occurring in the past ten years. In fact, just in our current year, “there have been two hundred and seventy three mass shootings in the United States” (Fox 1). This number averages to seven and a half mass shootings per week! These staggering numbers are pressing a very real issue to our leader on gun control laws. A mass shooting has no true definition but follows a strict criteria.According to the Gun Violence Archive, which receives data from shooting incidents, a "mass shooting" is any incident in which a gunman kills four or more people, selects victims randomly, and attacks in a public place (Fox 1). It is necessary for action to be taken in order to decline the occurrence of gun violence. The topic of gun control has sparked great controversy amongst Americans. Protests regarding this issue has led me to research gun control to see how heavily it corresponds with mass shootings. Are more strict gun control laws essential to low gun- related crimes in the United States?
Are we as a country helpless against mass shooters? What can we do as a country to decrease the amount of innocent people dying at the hands of a mass shooter? In a perfect world, mass shootings would be eliminated completely. Unfortunately, this is unrealistic. So, what can we do as a country to decrease the number of mass shootings occurring in the United States? By performing mental health screenings on people wishing to purchase a firearm, emphasizing mental health education beginning at a young age, reforming healthcare, eliminating gun-free zones, encouraging citizens to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and banning military style assault weapons we can decrease the number of mass shootings occurring in the United States.
Nine students were killed at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. A man opened fire in a church, in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people, including the pastor. Twenty-seven were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Twelve were killed in the Washington Navy Yard. This is only a few examples from a very long list. The grim truth is that mass shootings are becoming the new normal. Every few months, another mass shooting occurs and the public goes through the same routine of mourning, honoring, and ultimately debating. What causes these manic episodes of multiple, indiscriminate gun deaths? Some push for more gun control, others argue that the U.S. mental health system is a failure. Controversy aside,
On October 1, 2017 America was, yet again, devastated when Las Vegas suffered the United States worst mass shooting. One man killed over 50 people and injured 527. After he was finished firing from the 39th floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort, he committed suicide. His name was Stephan Paddock (Yan and Park). When most people think of a mass shooting, they think of a terroristic act or someone shooting at a large group of innocent citizens, like Columbine High School or Sandy Hook Elementary School. In actuality, most people do not realize that whenever two or more people are injured or killed by a gun, it is considered a mass shooting. These “mass shootings” happen every day in America and they are one of the leading causes of death in