In the United States we are blessed with our freedom. We are free to say what we want and follow our own pursuit of happiness; these rights were given to us in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. One of the rights that was also given to us in the Bill of Rights is the right to bear arms, which states that entitled you to arm yourself in case you needed to defend yourself. In the time period, the founding fathers “believed that governments are prone to use soldiers to oppress the people” [Lund and Winkler] and if that ever were to happen to you, they thought that you should have the right to fight back the injustice yourself as what they would be doing to you would be illegal in this new developing country; seeing as they would be not in the military they would be unpaid, but still have the right to protect themselves [Lund and Winkler]. Now, this amendment has turned into just about anyone being able to own a firearm; there are screening processes in place, but unfortunately they do not always prove to be effective.
Thus far in the United States this year, there have been 48,218 shootings that have occurred and of those there were 12,052 deaths; of all of those shootings, 279 of them were mass shootings [Gun Violence Archive]. The list was updated on October twelfth, and if you do that math that makes it the 285th day of the year; this means that the United states has had almost as many mass shootings as there have been days in the year, equating out to be a mass shooting almost every day of the year so far [Gun Violence Archive]. These are staggering numbers. Mass shootings have become the norm in this country, which is extremely dangerous. In the past two years, there have been mass shootings to such a severe degree that they replaced the record for the deadliest mass shooting in the United States twice.
Lots of times, the scary part of all of this is that you don’t see it coming, meaning that any and all American Citizens are at risk. The right to bear arms has been twisted to say that anyone who is able to have the appropriate boxes checked off on a form is allowed to carry a weapon, which also means that just about anyone can be a threat at all times. Currently in our country there is a severe divide of people who are just too afraid to make a compromise and have peace, and this is causing intense tension throughout the United States, only increasing the threat of another mass shooting if the wrong person gets too overwhelmed or upset with one side of the argument and then targets them.
The divide that currently exists in this country has a very serious divide on what really is the right action to take in order to prevent these shootings from happening. One extreme side of this argument says that there should be distinct legislature that prevents someone from being able to carry guns at all, and the other extreme side is arguing that guns are a right given to them by the Bill of Rights and that no matter what is going on around them as long as they are abiding the law they should get to keep their guns. Both sides have a valid argument, and oh boy they are arguing about it.
Those that are arguing for more legislature restricting gun ownership are seeing the same stats that are stated in the above paragraphs. The likelihood of being shot in this country is rising on a daily basis, and it is terrifying. Innocent people who were simply having fun at a concert in Las Vegas tragically lost their lives for what currently seems like no apparent reason. It is frustrating to watch people in government office do almost nothing about it, and to see people needlessly losing their lives with no change is only adding to the divide. People are getting through the screenings to own a gun very easily, and there are people that are illegally getting these guns through previous owners or buying them illegally; this is one of the causes of the problem, the government hasn’t been able to regulate the underground gun market just yet and then these guns are getting in the wrong hands. This argument is asking for action that isn’t being taken yet, in an attempt to make the general community that we live in safer for all of those who live in it.
Those that are arguing the second amendment are stating one of the rights that has been given to them by our forefathers. They believe that as long as they remain law abiding gun owners that they shouldn’t be punished for what those who are breaking the law are doing. For those that are following all of the rules and regulations, only to see the rules and regulations constantly being broken and abused is frustrating because then it gives those who own guns and those who are supportive of owning a gun a bad reputation for doing exactly what they are supposed to do. There can be a million perfectly good apples in a barrel, and it unfortunately only takes one bad apple to affect the quality of the others that are around it. This argument is asking for everyone to see that not all gun owners are bad people who are killing others with their equipment, and it is their legal right to be able to do this in this country and they shouldn’t be discriminated for doing what they are allowed to be doing.
It is unfair to expect those that are doing what they are supposed to, to be okay with being asked to give up a right that is given to them as a member of this great nation, but we have to admit that there is a problem here, whether or not that problem is solvable with some new legislature that is stricter on gun laws is unknown, but something clearly has to give here. Unfortunately, the problem is far from being solved at the moment, but the general public has taken it upon themselves to put a band aid on the situation with some control tactics to try and keep the problem from getting worse in the general community of our nation;
“(f)or example:
Police are trained in crisis intervention skills with a primary focus on responding to special populations such as those with mental illness.
Community members are trained in skilled interventions such as Emotional CPR and Mental Health First Aid — consumer-based initiatives that use neighbor-to-neighbor approaches that direct people in need of care to appropriate mental health treatment.
School resource officers are trained to show a proactive presence in schools”
[Scrivner].
All of these tactics are helping the community and those who have been affected by a mass shooting or any gun violence feel a little safer. The fact that people are taking the time to care for their neighbors like this is comforting in and of itself, and I’m sure those that are in immediate need of it are thankful for it as well. This is also all in promotion of healthy gun laws, showing people that when guns are used correctly they aren’t so scary [Scrivner]. This is really helping both sides here, really showing both sides of the current debate that there can be a bit of a compromise, now if only they can put it in writing then we would all benefit.
Mass shootings have a massive impact on community health, they can be the cause of more things than just injury or death. Most recently, the shooting in Las Vegas (that is now considered the deadliest in the history of the United States) for sure effected more people than just those who were injured or killed (even though that number is staggering); some people will probably walk away from that experience with some new mental health disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Anxiety. Everyone who left that concert that night was forever changed and will probably carry that memory with them for the rest of their lives, some may live in fear of having to experience that again, and statistically speaking they probably should be.
Mass shootings are terrifying, and they are taking over our country right now. People are scared and don’t really know what action is next, they are trying to do what’s best by stating their opinion in the debate but sometimes that only causes more problems. If we all could collectively come together and be adults and come to a compromise I think that we would all be better off in the community by knowing that we can trust one another to not whip out a gun in the middle of the mall. Mental health would be a little more stable, and the threat to our lives wouldn’t be so great. This compromise could be a pivotal moment in our history, although I think we are ways away from that right now, we can get there eventually.
Bibliography
- “Gun Violence Archive.” Gun Violence Archive, www.gunviolencearchive.org/.
- Lund, Nelson, and Adam Winkler. “The 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” National Constitution Center – The 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-ii.
- Scrivner, Ellen, et al. “Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention and Policy.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/gun-violence-prevention.aspx.