The Dangers Of Mass Shootings

An ever increasing emphasis on the prevention of mass shootings has presented the option of gun control and bans. Mass shootings have occurred many times throughout history, but have

According to Political Fact, “there have been 273 mass shooting in 2017- one for each day of the year (Pelosi).” In the past the government has used a strict definition to define a mass murder which states that at least four victims must be killed. Many factors play different roles in committing a terror attack or mass shooting such as biological, psychological, and social influences.

Assault style or automatic weapons have been a common denominator in almost all fatal mass shootings. It is unnecessary for civilians to purchase automatic weapons for non-military use. If there was a ban on the purchasing of militarized weapons by civilians, it would decrease the number of fatal mass shootings drastically.

Mass shootings are a controversial subject because many do not want to rush into gun control because they could because anxious from any recent mass shootings. Supporters of gun control believe that taking away “assault weapons” would solve this but that word was made up in the wake of these shootings . “Assault Weapons” are made up assault rifles are standard practice for the military as they are fully automatic and have big capacity magazines and are made specifically to do major damage. The “Assault Weapons” many supporters want to ban are known as semi-automatic rifles and have been around since the early days of the war with vietnam. In fact the AR-15 the most popular rifle in America and it was originally developed 60 years ago as defensive weapon and the company that developed it sold the rights to Colt to make fully automatic versions for the military called the M16 but also sold

Gun control should not exist at all in the United States. Mass shootings have almost become seen as normal event in the United States. What people do not understand is that gun control is not the answer; there are countries with little to no control that have fewer shootings. According to The Washington Post,Finland is ranked number 4 in countries with the most guns despite that they only had 24 homicides by firearm (“Gun homicides and ownership by countries” n.pag.) . In the article Did Gun Control Work In Australia “it is shown that gun control has reduced the problems but it still has not completely got rid of all firearm deaths”(Matthews n.pag.). The number of murders, homicides, or suicides do not go up due to people just owning more guns. Clayton Perry, a staff writer at the University of Maine, even points out “Stricter gun laws were in place during the Assault Weapons Ban between 1994 and 2004, but that didn't stop the shooters at Columbine in 1999 ”(Perry n. pag.). In Iceland, thirty out of a hundred people own a gun and they have zero homicides caused by guns a year(“Gun Homicides and ownership by country” n. pag.). In this day and age, everything is unpredictable, guns are a form of protection for everyone and there should not be restrictions on protection. The U.S. Department of Justice released a data brief that states, “ On average in 1987-92 about 83,000 crime victims per year used a firearm to defend themselves or their property”(Rand BJS Statistician n. pag.). The National Sheriffs Association released that the average police response time is at eighteen minutes while the average school shooting only last twelve minutes (“Embracing Technology To Decrease Response Time” n. pag.). Gun control should not exist because other countries do fine without it , high gun ownership has no link with increasing death rates , and guns are not harmful when instructions are followed.

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.

The constant discussion of taking away firearms or limiting their uses, causes the public to go to the nearest firearm dealer and purchase the sorts of weapons being banned before the legislation is enforced. Now there is a bigger problem, people who have never touched a firearm now are an owner of such weapons. Some people decided to give away these banned firearms, and could possibly give that weapon to a criminal through private purchasing, making the amount of private sales increase drastically. With more private sales, more unregistered firearm owners now have the banned firearms in their possession making it easier to commit crimes such as the previously mentioned mass shootings. Ironicly the laws made to stop such shootings actually just make it

If gun control becomes as strict as other countries, the only citizens who would be allowed to have guns would be law enforcement officers, and they cannot be everywhere at one time. Big city police chiefs are more likely to support gun control (Perez-Pena). The population in big cities is much higher which means that more people would have access to guns. The police want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. I believe that a criminal will find any means necessary to commit a crime. “It’s not the device, it’s the people (Solis).” Most mass shootings are preceded by warning signs usually in the form of social media or behavior changes (Hockley). We need to look into ways to keep guns out of the hands of those with mental issues and those who have criminal records. Gun shops have the capability of accessing the background history of a customer. Many mass shootings have been linked to people who have been recognized as being deeply disturbed (Perez-Pena). We are on track to educate more than two million children and adults across 50 states on identifying at-risk behaviors and depression (Hockley). If

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

Gun Control has obviously gone out of control in the recent years. Look around, they are everywhere. Reducing the rate of Crime in the United States would make the country a better place to live. In the past and in the present, Mass Shootings have impacted America. Virginia Tech shooting killed 33 teachers and students (Bowman). In 1999, the

There are some commonalities that should be considered in developing an effective government policy aimed at preventing mass shootings. According to Michel Martin of National Public Radio, “in more than half of mass shootings, 54 percent, the perpetrator also shot an intimate partner or relative.” Furthermore, according to gun policy expert, Robert Spitzer, mass shootings “almost never occur spontaneously with no prior indication.” This means that there is some knowledge available that could prevent mass shootings. “Despite their differences, however, these mass killers shared one quality with each other and with every other American besides: easy access to deadly weapons” (Frum). Many of the guns used in mass shooting events were legally obtained. Dan Gross of the Center to Prevent Youth Violence sums up the issue with gun control as “’not as much a matter of keeping certain guns away from all people as it is a matter of keeping all guns away from certain people’” (Martin).

"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

“Since at least 1950, all but two public mass shootings in America have taken place where general citizens are banned from carrying guns.” Now, envision being in a mall and you hear a horrible scream immediately after you hear a massive CRACK! You look behind you and you see a man running at you with a gun, you grab for your gun but you remember you have just gave your gun to the government. You would be defenseless because of gun control. Gun control should not be reinforced for the reasons that most mass shootings are in gun free zones. most gun related death are suicides, and these laws wouldn’t apply to criminals.

Currently in the United States, there is a large debate going on about what we should do about gun control. This issue played a large role in the recent election of our president Donald Trump. In this issue, there are two sides as well as a middle section that agrees slightly with both sides. On the extreme sides of the issue, some people believe that guns should be completely not allowed in the United States, while some believe there should be no regulation whatsoever due to the second amendment rights given to us by our forefathers. Then there are the people in the middle who believe there should be some regulation, such as background checks when you purchase