Hello everybody, I should let you know before we start, this topic may be upsetting to some readers. This topic has a major focus on gun violence, which sticks to the United States like an unshakeable plague and jeopardizes the safety of innocent children and adults alike. I am an inhabitant of the so called 'land of the free, home of the brave,' but this statement just hides the horrors of being a U.S. citizen. Gun violence is becoming normal and has been increasing since 2019. This always made me wonder, why is this happening? Why do these people, who aren't in their right mind, have access to guns? Only a sick person would walk into a school and make a conscious decision to end the lives of young children.
Ever since the Uvalde school shooting, I have been noticing that gun violence as a whole has been increasing. There has been the Colorado Springs shooting, another school shooting in Nashville, and many more. Whenever I see the news and see shootings, I think: "Another one? Something should be done!"
So today, I have gathered some possible explanations as to why mass shootings are so common in America. Each explanation varies because not all people have the same mindset when they wield a gun. The crazy part of all this is that around 80-90% of all school shootings in the world happen in America. It is far less common in other parts of the world.
Our first explanation is the number of guns. According to www.news.vcu.edu "The U.S. population is about 334 million and the number of guns in the U.S. is more than 390 million (according to a report by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization)." This shows that the U.S. has the highest civilian gun ownership in the world, war-torn countries like Yemen are behind the U.S. in this factor.
The second factor is attention. Crimes like this receive a lot of media attention, though it is sick to think about, some people think that they can get famous and have their name known for their crime. Serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer are famous names because of their murder sprees and the overall thought that a human would commit such acts. Now in the present, they don't really give too many details on the perpetrator because of it.
A third element is mental illness. Most school shooters were mentally ill or showed symptoms of mental health problems. Timely psychiatric support could help prevent some of these shootings. However, in most cases these illnesses were not always properly diagnosed or treated. It is honestly so sad how many people aren't treated for their illnesses, and things like this happen because of it. Often times, people can't even turn to their loved ones for support because they fear they will be shunned.
According to Brooking.edu: "...many of these individuals feel marginalized. Indeed, almost half of those who perpetrate K-12 shootings report a history of rejection, with many experiencing bullying. One 16-year-old shooter wrote, “I feel rejected, rejected, not so much alone, but rejected. I feel this way because the day-to-day treatment I get usually it’s positive, but the negative is like a cut, it doesn’t go away really fast." Prior to the Parkland shooting, the perpetrator said, "I had enough of being—telling me that I’m an idiot and a dumba**."
A 14-year-old shooter stated in court, "I felt like I wasn’t wanted by anyone, especially my mom." These individuals felt rejected and insignificant." This leads me to discuss bullying. Many of the school shooters return to their current of former schools in which they experienced abuse in many forms. Many school shooters "collected" a set of real or imaginary grievances inflicted to them by others. They sometimes kept lists with people that had done bad to them. Attacking the school can be seen as an act of revenge. I feel that schools don't try hard enough when it comes to bullying. They can put up all they 'stop bullying' campaigns and tell children to ignore the bully or 'turn the other cheek,' but there is no action. What's worse is when the victim takes matters into their own hands, they end up getting in trouble for it.
Now, here is a detail that no one seems to discuss: social media, a component that revolves around how people make it okay on social media to act on violence. There is a faction of right-winged government that condones violence. They use propaganda and urge people with things like: "Our country is under threat. We have to stand up and protect our country. We need to take up arms to defend our country, our way of life."
"The U.S. border is populated by a lot of citizens who have dubbed themselves border protection and they stand at the border with guns waiting for someone to illegally cross the border and they take them into custody even though they are not law enforcement."
The final element in lack of gun control. It's fairly easy to get your hands on a gun in the U.S. Building the arsenal that many of these school shooters use in their crimes would be hardly possible in other countries with tougher gun regulation. However, in the US there are more than 15,000 gun shops and many families have one or several weapons. Children and teenagers have been trained on how to use a gun. Many experts claim that the easy access to guns in the US is one of the main factors explaining why mass shootings are becoming increasingly common.
During my lifetime, there have been a couple of shootings, but a couple of them I was too young to remember them, like to Columbine High School Massacre in Colorado. As I got older, I noticed a lot of shooting incidents, like a wife/husband shooting their significant other or children.
There have been countless instances, but the one that really left a big impression on me was the Uvalde Massacre. These children were less than 12-years-old and had their lives ended before they could even start. They didn't get to graduate, they won't get to get married, have babies of their own, or experience all the wonders of life. It still haunts me to this day. I remember when my mother told me about it (a couple of months before starting my blog.) Me and my family were so heartbroken and sad. I am not an emotional person, but I shed some tears that night. I have never met these children in my life, but it felt like I lost one of my own.
What was even worse about it was that many lives could have been saved within the solid 90 minutes those officers spent standing there. Their cowardice cost the lives of children. I applaud the parents that kept fighting for justice for their children because of the sheriff's order to stand by.
This is a plague, not in the form of an illness or disease, but in the form of this man-made evil. We turn on one another and kill children that are completely innocent in these circumstances.
I understand that this is a very emotional and somber topic, but I had to write an article about it. I am letting my feelings out as well, while I write. I am expressing my hatred and lack of action of these disasters. People aren't getting the help or support they need; guns are easily accessible to people with mental illnesses that should not have access to firearms.
When is it going to stop? How many lives have to be lost for the government to do something about the availability of guns? How many children are going to go to school one day and never come back home?
This is the reality. These are the horrors that the 'land of the free, home of the brave' harbors.
I am going to leave you all with these thoughts. Many don't realize the severity and weight of this issue. I hope you enjoyed this article, and that you understand my disdain and sadness for the victims of these shootings, and their families.
Thank you so much for reading this article and have a good day/night.
If you or a loved one is experiencing any mental health problems, please click any of these links:
(Rest in peace for those who were lost in these shootings🕊️)
(Stay tuned for the sources and further reading.)
Sources and Further Reading:
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