Prevention And Improvement Of Community Health

Public Health is the monitoring of the health of a population as a whole. This ranges from accidents such as car crashes to gun shot wounds

Sandy Hook Elementary. Aurora, Colorado. San Bernardino, California. Las Vegas, Nevada. Orlando, Florida. (Words with Negative Connotation) These are just some of the biggest mass shootings that have swept America in the past few years. Hundreds of lives are lost each year to gun related violence in the United States alone. Gun control has been a topic in our country since our founding fathers adopted the second amendment to the US constitution. Although recently controversy has sparked to an all-new extent in America due to the recent spike in mass shootings and gun related homicides. So many families and loves ones are affected each year in the United States because of gun related violence and other mass killing events, because of these events gun control laws need to be revamped and strengthened in American in order to protect the citizens.

San Diego is a nice place to live because of the great weather year round, an abundance of job opportunities, access to healthcare, and

Well first off, I obviously feel that gun violence is a public health issue. The reason for that is because at this point it is considered a Health Crisis (or Public Health Crisis). This means “a difficult situation or complex health system that affects humans in one or more geographic areas from a particular locality to encompass the entire planet.” It is considered that because now the amount of people affected by gun violence is so high that guns are ahead of HIV, Parkinson's, Malnutrition, Anemia, Viral Hepatitis, and much more for cause of deaths. Yet the funding for research for gun violence is very low compared to the other leading causes of deaths in the United States.

Healthcare professionals see the aftermath of gun violence. Many healthcare professionals support gun control (Healthcare professionals speak out on guns: “Definitely changed my opinion on the 2nd amendment…”, n.d.). These professionals see patients with gunshot wounds (GSW) who are bystander victims, children who accidentally obtain a GSW through play with guns, results of gang violence, and the list goes on (Healthcare professionals speak out on guns: “Definitely changed my opinion on the 2nd amendment…”, n.d.). Blood banks are drained by these events (Gun Violence: A Public Health Crisis, 2017). Nurses and paramedics admit to being afraid of treating a GSW patient because a shooter may come to “finish the job” (Healthcare professionals speak

Mental Health is the root to numerous problems in America, how your brain deals with certain situations determines how sick or healthy our minds are. Based on a Washington Post-ABC News Poll of 808 adults, 57% agreed that the mass shootings were due to mental health issues whereas 28% said that it was due to inadequate gun control laws (SHEN). Almost 30% additional people thought that it was a mental health issue instead of a gun control issue. Since a larger portion of adults believe that mental health is the root to mass shootings a mental health test need to be complete on anyone who wants to carry or purchase a weapon.

After recent tragic events, such as the mass shooting that took place at a musical festival in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1st, 2017, which left over 50 people dead, and over 500 others injured (Bui, Zapotosky and Barrett), the topic of stricter gun controls in America has become a controversial topic for many people in our society. Those in favor of stricter gun controls believe that by implementing laws that would make it more difficult for the average person to purchase and own guns, the result would be a decreased number of mass shootings and other gun deaths in our country. Typically, with these proposed laws, it is suggested that potential gun owners should be required to undergo mental health screening, in addition to regular background checks to see if the person has a history of any mental illnesses or past crimes. However, reducing the number of mass shootings and other gun deaths in America is not as simple as just implementing new laws.

I completely support those who stand up for our constitutional right to bear arms, but in light of the recent shootings, is it time for state and federal health officials to declare a national public health emergency? Is it really ok that we be allowed to purchase an excessive amount of firearms, does that not raise any eyebrows? This is a national epidemic. I want to ask Congress to place limits on firearm purchases, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and provide funds for gun violence research. Americans deserve to be able to walk, celebrate and gather in large groups without the fear of random and mass shootings.

Mass shootings are increasing in frequency and expanding locations. They have occurred in movie theatres, elementary schools, college campuses, parties, and concert venues. A mass shooting is defined as an “event where at least four people are killed” (Martin). “According to a Harvard University study based on a database compiled by Mother Jones magazine, what used to be an average of 200 days between mass shooting deaths in the US has dropped to just over 60 since 2011” (Jonsson). Mass shootings have caused much confusion and fear for safety among people. The nation is divided on how to address mass shooting violence. Some people believe that more restrictive gun legislation is the answer, while others think less restrictive gun legislation is the answer. In reality, a multi-faceted government policy addressing both gun legislation and threat assessment/mental health treatment is needed to prevent mass shootings in the future.

Public health organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) have put forward recommendations to restrict access, ensure safe storage of firearms to lower the number people killed and maimed by the discharge of guns (Gjertsen et al, 2014). America is leading in the numbers of deaths from gunfire among the developed nations.

In his essay “We need to stop the next Aurora Not with Gun Control but with Better Mental Health Treatment” David R. Dow explains how gun control is not the problem in mass shootings. Instead mental health is the real problem. I also believe what Dow expresses in his essay. If we help those whom we ignore and pretend aren’t there then these violent crimes will start to disappear. He wrote the essay to help prevent more shootings, by informing the public on what the real problem is.

The Orlando nightclub shooting in Florida on June 12, 2016 was the single largest massacre in U.S history, taking the lives of 50 individuals, including the shooter himself, and injuring 53 others. This is one extreme example of the gun violence that has been occurring in this country, but mass shootings like this and the one at Newton in 2012 are only a small part of our gun violence issue. The everyday gun violence that takes place in cities all across the United States claims the lives of thousands every single year. According to The Guardian, 33,500 civilians die each year because of gun brutality- “that’s about 1 life every 15 minutes” (Beckett). Between the years of 1999 and 2013, there were 464,003 gun deaths in the U.S, about 58% of them were suicides 37% were homicides. (ProCon.org) Gun violence and the consequences of that violence, have become a real and dangerous problem in the U.S , why else would the CDC list the United States as having the highest rate of gun violence out of all developed countries today? (Gale Opposing Viewpoints) This issue is not just attributable to a single factor, there are several that play an important part in why gun violence is such an issue in the U.S, namely laws and poverty; and in these causes we can also find solutions.

Public health means so many things, in the past it was called “health for the poor”, “washing your hands”, and taking care of “vulnerable populations” (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2015 p. 4). In essence those are good definitions, but it is more than that definitions, public health is considered a

Tragic Death. Weak Government. This is the beginning, middle ,and end of the ignored “epidemic” of Gun Control. The misleading effects of gun control and other such violences. Violence affects everyone is a small-big scene and at the time when we least expect it. According to Bradycampagn.org, there are over 100,000 deaths each year by guns. Violence is something we shouldn't put aside to wait any longer. Americans need to see the big picture that violence is making and take a step forward to being considerate and responsible for their actions and how it may eventually affect

One New York Times article called “Why Do We Ignore Initiatives That Reduce Gun Violence?” It says that “Proven strategies to protect people from being murdered by firearms do exist. The bad news: They’re tragically underutilized, for reasons that we suspect have to do with a dismissive national attitude toward the areas where most acts of violence are committed.” This shows how in places all over the US that aren’t as safe as others are more likely to have outbreaks not only because how safe that area is, but also because there is a lack of education on the people in the town saying how gun violence is wrong. This article shows how we need to promote gun safety everywhere in the US especially in the already unsafe