What Are Mass Shootings

Columbine and Virginia Tech were definitely two of the biggest, but not one of the first mass shootings on school grounds. On August 1, 1966, a mass shooting took place at the University of Texas. A 25 ex-marine named Charles Whitman, who majored in architectural engineering, murdered his mother and wife that morning. Whitman climbed on top of the UT Tower and started firing. “The crime scene spanned the length of five city blocks… and covered the nerve of what was then a relatively small, quiet college town.”

“The Monitor studied two online databases – Mass Shooting Tracker and the Gun Violence Archive – that employ perhaps the broadest popular definition of "mass shootings": incidents that leave four or more people dead or wounded (Mendoza & Gass).” While majority of the 372 shootings do effect less than ten people, severe cases can go far beyond that number. Some of the deadliest and most well heard of shootings in America would be the San Bernardino, CA shooting (2015), the Sandy Hook school shooting (2012), and the Orlando, FL shooting (2016) which injured or killed over one hundred people. These attacks are taking place everywhere, disability centers, schools, and your everyday social events. This puts everyone at risk of the potential for a mass shooting.

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.

On April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech University, a student shot 32 people and committed suicide after the massacre. Seung-Hui Cho was mentally ill and was suffering from depressed. Even though his mental health was an issue he bought two guns at an unlicensed gun show that did not administered a background check on him (Gun Control Reform 1).

On Wednesday June 18, 2015 nine shot dead at a historical black church in Charleston, South Dakota and only a month later on July 16, 2015 in Chattanooga, Tennessee with five dead leaving citizens devastated. The past year contains more than 350 mass shootings, averaging 1.02 shootings per day and continuous growing number of deaths, multiple mass shootings around the world leaving dozens of victims in its path. There is no exact definition of mass shootings, but most sources believe it is when four or more people are shot in one location. Citizens in America are easily able to obtain a gun and the growing issue is whether this should change and stronger laws in place. Although citizens believe gun control laws take away second amendment and right to protect themselves, mass shootings are increasing yearly and action needs to happen to prevent the next attack.

When the majority of people think of summer they think of it as a easy-going time of year with beautiful weather, but it is not all fun and sunshine for everyone around the world, or even in our own country. Major events are happening all the

On July 25, at Club Blu in Fort Myers, Florida, a shooter shot 18 people, killing 2 and injuring 16. Due to these recent shootings all across America, citizen become increasingly more concerned for their safety. We need to look at these shootings and realize that something needs to be

Mass shootings are defined as an incident during which an active shooter shoots three or more people in a single event (Bridges and Leigh). Sadly, these incidents have been on a steady rise in America and little is being done. In the first 164 days of 2016, there was 136

Mass shootings in the U.S and even the world are becoming more and more common every year and all but two of the shooting

In 2012 several mass shootings accrued which reignited gun-control and firearm ownership debates in the United States. There are more public mass shootings in the United States than in any other country in the world. Many of the shooters had a mental illness and most states do not require background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows from private individuals, which is known as the “gun show loophole”. This results in too many guns falling into the hands of dangerous people, which is why we need stricter regulations. Although many others think getting a stricter amendment on gun control violets our second amendment we still need to do something about this situation.

In 2010, gun violence cost U.S. taxpayers Although mass shootings have been covered extensively in the media, mass shootings account for a small fraction of gun-related deaths and the frequency of these events had steadily declined between 1994 and 2007. Between 2007 and 2013, however, the rate of active shooter incidents per year in the US increased.Handguns figured in the Virginia Tech massacre, Binghamton shootings, 2009 Fort Hood shooting, Oikos University shooting, and 2011 Tucson shooting. The Aurora theater shooting and the Columbine Highschool massacre were committed by assailants armed with multiple

Policy Doesn’t Change Behavior How Campus Gun Controls Empower Criminals Thomas Valadez Critical Thinking Comm-1270 Virginia Tech Massacre is recorded as the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunmen in U.S. history. According to Everytown.org, since December of 2012 there have been more than 120 school shootings, 55 of which happened on a college campus.

The United States is not lacking in notable mass shootings over the years, and it is difficult to narrow it down. The LA Times posted an article on December 2, 2015 entitled Deadliest U.S. Mass Shootings 1984-2015. This article lists 46 “notable mass shootings” over the past 31 years. These

When one hears the words “mass shooter,” one tends to think of a young, white man. If not white, people definitely think of a man. Indeed, men are far more likely to be involved in any type of violent crime, especially mass shootings. However, there have been a few

Mass Shootings in the U.S.: What is the root cause? Mass shootings are becoming commonplace in today's society as they increase in frequency. Mass shooters use past attacks as guidance in an attempt to complete the attack as efficiently as possible in order to be broadcasted on the news. The desire to feel important is a need that dwells deep within the psyche of most people. Gun restrictions in the United States of America (U.S.) are lacking in comparison to others countries, causing a large number of guns to become available in the country which, in addition to the loose restrictions placed upon the weapons in many states, places a burden upon the inhabitants of the United States. The many victims of mental illness in the U.S. are relatively ignored due to a lack of understanding surrounding the community, which often results in conditions being untreated, culminating in an increase in violent urges. In the United States, the lack of gun ownership restrictions makes it easier for people with mental illness to obtain them, therefore giving them the means to repeat past shootings, further helping them reach a twisted sense of fame that allows them to feel important.