Although the rate for youth committing extremely violent crimes have been low, it is still a disturbing deed that happens in Canada. Violent crimes are described by the Province of Ontario as: “...a composite measure that includes homicide, attempted homicide, assaults, sexual assaults and robbery.” (Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, 2013). There are many different reasons why these type of crimes could occur before adulthood. Some factors that could cause this type of behaviour are: possession of a weapon, the influence of the media, and the influences of their family and friends.
Firstly, when youth are in possession of a weapon, they are more likely to commit a violent crime. If a weapon is readily available and on hand
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This would result because of youth males being involved in gangs. Youth believe that there is safety in numbers and it can be said that they join gangs looking for protection. “Gun violence is also more prevalent among street gangs that involve primarily young men less than 30 years of age” (Public Safety Canada, 2014). Thus, having guns readily available, either through homes, gangs or when a young person happens to come across one, can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. A way to combat this issue would be to have more gun education and more strict gun laws. It should not be easy to attain a firearm or easy to attain a license for them. Additionally, the media influences that youth witness everyday - television, movies, video games - can all desensitize young minds. “The typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more than 16,000 murders before age 18. Television programs display 812 violent acts per hour; children 's programming, particularly cartoons, displays up to 20 violent acts hourly.” (Beresin, 2015). Witnessing this kind of violence everyday can make it seem like it is a normal, everyday thing. “Certain elements of television, music videos, video games, movies, pornography, sports, and the military glorify violence and contribute to a desensitization among viewers.” (Kelly & Totten, 2002, pg. 15). It makes it seem like it would be okay to commit an act of violence. The media portrays these types of scenes and
Juvenile gun violence is an ever-increasing problem in our country. With a wave of school shooting behind us it is time to get this under control. Many studies have been done on how to effectively diminish juvenile gun violence. It is clear that this must be handled on a state and local level with the federal government backing the states. Prevention and law enforcement is the key to successfully eradicate our nation of the ugly stain caused by youth gun violence.
The next level is Family level factors. It as been proven that children or youth that
Ever since the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a numerous list of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a major issue in today’s society. Many people dread what causes adolescents to be so violent, committing horrible crimes.
Lastly, more responsibility should be put on the adults who legally own a firearm, in order to keep weapons out of the hands of a teen. By making them inaccessible and unloaded, teens will have a much harder time getting their hands on weapons that have potential to harm them, stopping future gun crimes against teens in its tracks. Guns are not the only reason teenagers are being affected in negative ways, many other factors that are influencing teenagers in America. American’s need to open their eyes and realize that guns should not be used as a scapegoat, the actions of a person does the real harm.
Teenage gun violence is on the rise. Gun violence has become a major problem for America. We have more privately owned guns than any other country. This could be one of the reasons that guns are being used by teens, because of the access they have to guns. The availability of guns to our youth is making the world unsafe. Although lawmakers are working on gun control laws, I wonder is the problem too far gone.
The article “On Punishment and Teen Killers,” by Jennifer Jenkins, explains why teens should be punished as adults and how the media is influencing the youth to commit serious crimes. The author, Jennifer Jenkins, shares her case where her sister with her unborn child, were murdered by a teen with a gun. She explains that there are advocates who wish to minimize the offender's culpability simply because of their age. Jenkins add that in America, weapons are easily available to our youth, and that they grow in a violence-loving culture. She says that the Inuit people of northern Canada had no juvenile crime at all until 1980 with the introduction of television into their culture, which influenced the teens to commit crimes. Jenkins affirms that if brain development would be the cause of the teens to commit crimes, so then the whole world should have the same rate of juvenile crimes.
Young youth are not aware of their actions. The youths brain is not fully developed as they process the important thoughts and information before their actions. Which could cause them lifetime in prison or other negative consequences like community service other things that they can do depending on their crime. From exposure to violent video games and other people that break the law and encourage young youth to break the law and remain in the world of crime. Positive actions in a form of rehabilitation/reintegration could impact young offenders in a positive way and give them a second chance. This will slowly lower the percentage of the crimes that youth commit every year. This change will help the future youth and will prevent violent
Despite existing gun laws already enacted, homicide rates from around the globe are augmenting yearly, resulting in an increase of innocent deaths. Several individuals have expressed that “When the homicide rate is disaggregated by age, it becomes clear that the increase in homicide after 1985 was driven almost entirely by a significant increase in homicides committed by juveniles (those under age 18) and youth (those between the ages of 18 and 24)” (Blumstein). With numerous guns still out in the open and
This question is important to everyone related to the issue. Weapons have a big role in everyone?s lives. Most have their own hunting rifle or a collectible pistol. But either of these in the hands of a youth in your neighborhood could be dangerous. Americans value their rights to freedoms granted to them by the Constitution, which includes the possession of firearms as stated in the Second Amendment.
A trend analysis of juvenile homicide offenses shows that since the mid 1970's, the number of homicides in which no firearm was involved has remained fairly constant. However, homicides by juveniles involving a firearm have increased nearly threefold. In addition, during this same period, the number of juvenile arrests for weapons violations increased 117 percent. When guns are the weapon of choice, juvenile violence becomes deadly.
The availability of guns is responsible for the rise in violence among juveniles (Page par. 1). People who are in the presence of easy accessible weapons does not always tend have violent behaviors. Areas with a high crime rate tend to have more violent behaviors associated with assault weapons rather areas with low crime rates. So for the most part, time spent should be focused on areas with high crime rate such as New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. These areas are more prone to have problematic situations in regards to assault weapons due to the drug traffickers and gangs. According to the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, four states found that thirty five percent male and eleven percent of female students reported carrying a gun (Page par.3). That is of the people who complied and told the truth, there are a lot more people that are carrying weapons that should not be. In order for the streets of America to be safer, there needs to be laws and restrictions on this dangerous weapon.
“States that passed "shall-issue" laws between 1977 and 2010 had a 2% or more increase in the murder rate, and at least 9% increases in rates of rape, aggravated assault, robbery, auto theft, burglary, and larceny, according to an Aug. 2012 paper” (National Bureau of economic research). With this being said the more availability for teenagers and young adults to get weapons the more likely crime rates would increase. Not saying that every single teen or every single young adult who gets or has a gun will turn into a criminal or participate in violent actions but, they are still adolescent and will make mistakes. Especially if they are trying to fit in with a specific group of people, they will pretty much do almost anything. They may steal, kill, injure, abuse, etcetera just to be intertwined with those people. They could even steal the weapon from the administrator to use for bad or give to someone else to use for bad. People are getting to be really persuasive especially teenagers they get pulled in different directions every day. Even though we don't like admitting it most of them are getting pulled in the wrong directions. Well bringing weapons into schools just helps give them more of a reason to turn for the worst and do things that no person should do. These kids should be getting help and comfort and also understanding, not to be put down and lead to do things such as stealing and abusing one another and
There is a prevention for teen violence that needs to practiced, if not the youth will grown up to be heartless adults with a tremendous amount of problems in their lives. Parents should not argue in front of their children and show such violence towards each other. It can traumatize them and then they wouldn’t be the same. Communities and neighborhoods play a big part also. In a child is brought up in a low income area, we should let them know that’s there move to life out there.
Many of the kids around this age are away from home for the first time and they tend to go a little wild. They go to parties where drinking is involved, and a gun is at the party, kids don’t think what they are doing when they are drunk or high. There is a very good chance someone will shot either by accident or on purpose. Think about a teacher who gave someone a bad grade and the kid thought it was unfair or the kid is being bullied and they are hurt and angry. It would be easy for them to get a hold of a gun because maybe his or her roommate may have a CHL and
In “Specifying the Role of Exposure to Violence and Violent Behavior on Initiation of Gun Carrying: A Longitudinal Test of Three Models of Youth Gun Carrying,” by Spano, Pridemore, and Bolland assert that there is a higher risk of youth gun carrying after being exposed to violence and has been engaged in violent behavior. Researchers found in the early 1990s there is an increase of deaths and injuries associated with youth gun carrying specifically in high-poverty inner-city neighborhoods. However, this violent crime has not decreased in the twentieth century, high rates of death and injury continues to contribute in the African American youth for using firearms. Adolescent firearm violence has been identified as an endemic public threat to