The Gun Violence Problem There have been 46 school shootings so far this year, with an average of about one a week. This is an absolutely mind blowing statistic., Nno other countries in the world have such a major problem. (Carissimo). I aimed to pursue this broad problem, and to discover why the U.S. has such a problem with mass shootings. and I wondered if there a way to fix this permeating issue or will it continue to eat away at America. How many more lives will be lost until, we as a country are able to rally together to solve such a profound problem?. Guns themselves have not affected my life personally, but they have become such a center focus of politics and the media. I have never so much as held a gun in my life, but nonetheless, the constant bombardment of violence and death inspired me to follow it in further detail. I think the key reason I’m so intrigued by this topic is my own uncertainty on where I stand on the issue, I feel unable to pick a specific side of the topic, but regardless I feel, like many others, that there is something fundamentally wrong, something that is the root cause of all of this violence and death. As a first world country the U.S. outrageously outnumbers the entire world in gun violence and guns infuse the whole culture of the U.S.. And as a country we have yet to find the cause or the solution. Unsure of my opinion and my stance, I scanned the articles searching for one that would help clarify and maybe begin to answer some of my
The United States is one of the few countries were the right to bear arms is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most violent with incidents involving guns this year reaching an estimated 36,212 and an approximate 9,050 deaths (“Gun Violence Archive”). There are an estimated 310 million firearms in households across American, these are only estimates because current gun laws do not require them to be registered or tracked. A more staggering estimate is that most of the guns owned by private citizens are semi-automatic guns, the same type of gun used in almost all mass shootings. While these privately owned guns are legally purchased, many times, they land in the hands of criminals, and owners never report them stolen. Mass shootings and gun crimes are not the only issues with gun violence the one never talked about is suicide, more guns available equals more suicides. The United States is one of the easiest countries to own a gun legally or illegally, stricter gun control laws are necessary.
It seems like mass-killings, accidental firings and highway snipers have snuck comfortably into our society. Have we accepted mass shootings like Columbine HS, Sandy Hook Elementary and especially our local Lindhurst HS? Even law enforcement is not safe with the murder of five police officers in Dallas in one of our latest mass-shootings. With these famous, headline grabbing news stories, there are countless active shooter and murders that don’t reach national headlines. When is enough, enough? Very few social arguments are more polarizing than gun control. In Molly Ivins, “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns”, she takes a strong, passionate position
Gun violence has been around for centuries and there have been many mass shootings, homicides and suicides. There is always the argument on “do guns kill people” or “do people kill people”? What people really need to be looking at is the problem which is people stocking up on guns and not knowing how to properly handle them and all the mass shootings that are taking place. As a country, people need to be coming up with solutions instead of doing nothing.
Gun violence is a very controversial topic because everyone has their own perspectives on this particular topic. There are so many crimes caused by fire arms that it’s just plain out ridiculous. Many people have lost their lives due to gun violence and other crimes due to the use of a gun. Although guns are used for protection in certain cases, but most of the time they are not. There aren’t too many cases where someone used a gun for self-defense but there are many news stories and etcetera about a crime committed with the use of a firearm. A long time ago weapon violence had its issues however in no way like what is going on it current society. While there are occasions that have happened that appear to be stunning, tragic and pointless, comparable activities have happened decades prior; with the exception of they didn 't appear to happen as regularly as they do today. Weapon savagery has developed into a worldwide emergency. A few individuals feel we ought to boycott weapons inside and out, while others feel this would be unthinkable. Disposing of firearms may cure the issue however it may not be sufficient to make the issue go away.
Thirteen people were killed at Columbine High School in 1999, thirty-three died during the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, and twenty-seven people, twenty of whom were children no older than seven, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 (Kirk). These name only a few of the larger and most well-known school shooting incidences. In total, 297 people have lost their lives due to school-based shootings since 1980 (Kirk). Although this number may be small in comparison to death by guns overall, these instances are completely unwarranted and it is likely that they could have been avoided or at the very least reduced. These people, college and high school students, teachers, and even children, might still be alive today if our
Guns have been is society for centuries. They have been used for hunting, war, and even safety. However, in the past several years they have begun to take the lives of many innocent victims, often young children. In response to the killings in Newtown, Conn., it has been noted, “If this were a country, the number of children killed by gun violence would violate international law.” (Browne-Marshall) F.B.I. data shows in 2011, 1,668 African American children were killed due to guns. Day by day gun violence is rising and it is not only in ghetto neighborhoods.
During the past years gun violence has seen an enormous increase in various parts of the world and majority of the cases been reported in the United States. The case includes victims such as children, senior citizens and young adults engaging in violence or getting caught in the crossfires. The life of common people is being affected, people are concerned as to how they can live safe lives when guns are being used in increasing numbers. On an average, every day you hear about some sort of gun violence affecting people either in your hometown or in another part of the world. It is a shame for a country like United States to have such high
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.
In 2015, 13,367 people lost their lives due to gun violence according to Gun Violence Archive. The Archive also states that out of that number, 693 were children from ages 0-11. We can all agree that there is indeed a problem that we have to address. The solution to that problem, however, has been debated by many. I believe the solution to this problem exists in three parts: Mandatory training and licensing along with more heavily secure gun storage, stricter regulations on the purchasing of a firearm—disabilities and criminal records should be more deeply looked into before transaction—and finally, equipping teachers at highs schools with the right kind of weaponry to prevent mass shootings.
The United States is home to approximately 5% of the world’s population and 31% of all mass shootings. Through these mass shootings and various other methods of gun violence, tens of thousands of people die every year. These gun-related deaths primarily originate from murder and children accidentally shooting themselves. Although those in favor of gun control tend to believe that guns should be terminated completely, the second amendment prevents lawmakers from being able to do so. Therefore, in order to combat these causes, alternative gun control solutions must be made for each one. Gun-related murders can be decreased through the use of universal background checks. Additionally, accidental shootings can be minimized through the
More gun control means fewer deaths and crimes. Gun control in California is already very strict, but not strict enough. There are many reasons as to why gun control in California should be even stricter. First of all, there are many people out there with mental problems that already own a firearm. If the law were to become stricter, they would have more processing to rule out the mentally unstable from owning any type of firearm. Anyone taking any anti-depressants should automatically be disqualified. There is a good chance that it would most likely, reduce shootings, massacres, suicides, and all other types of incidents that have happened these past couple of years. Most of the past massive shootings are committed by people with mental instability. Secondly, the state should really enforce a very strict background check. Anybody who has a criminal or gang related background should automatically be disqualified from obtaining any type of firearm. Anybody with a violent record should also be disqualified. Lastly, California should make gun control stricter because stricter gun control would mean less crime and a safer state.
School shootings have been like a burning fire in the grass that only started with one piece of grass. The grass will keep burning until there is a solution. Just like shootings at schools, there needs to be a solution so that they will stop happening. School shootings around America are a big problem because they keep happening without an end to it. Someone needs to find a solution so that students and teachers can stop worrying about their safety in a school. First, the shootings that are happening have been a big problem and a solution would be to make the security of schools stronger. Whether it’s checking people that come in to make sure they dont’t have dangerous weapons or that it’s ensuring students dont’t have dangerous weapons. If
It has been over a year since the sickening sound of gunfire rang out at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado.
The major problems with gun crime occur because lots of guns are illegally resold. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms study recently claimed that “half of all gun seized from young criminals were purchased legally by straw buyers and then resold.” This suggests that the problematic direct-buyers are mostly not criminals but straw buyers. With this fact, minimizing or limiting resell firearms business is the main goal to deal with this strategy.
As most people already know in this year alone two of the biggest mass shootings in the United States’ history. The two shootings that are explained are the shooting in Las Vegas, which killed 58 and wounded 515 and the shooting in Texas which killed 26 and injured 20. You can also look at the Orlando Florida shooting last year which killed 49 and had 58 wounded (Linnane). Shootings in America have become more and more frequent, and it seems to some people that nowhere is safe. The examples given were at a concert, a bar and a church. It seems that no matter where you go there is now a risk of your life. Just imagine being in the shoes of someone who was in the Vegas attack. Thinking that they will have a fun time when all of a sudden you see someone next to you drop dead because someone has started to open fire. Everyone is in a panic trying to get to cover. You witness people praying that they won’t get shot as everyone piles up. How did this occur? Why are these shootings becoming so common? Why do these horrible situations keep on occurring? Well, due to the amount of guns in America, the lack of Mental Health Care, and the ease of obtaining a weapon, mass shootings are increasing with more lives being lost.