Mass Shootings in America: When Enough is Enough
December 17, 2015
The world has become desensitized to terror. With the recent San Bernardino shooting the total number of mass shootings in the United States in 2015 alone has raised to 355, according to an online shooting tracker.
Mass shootings–the killing of four or more people–occur almost every day, a sad reality in the United States. Almost every day there are reports of a new shooting, whether it is at churches, movie theaters, or the workplace–they’re expanding in people’s day-to-day lives.
Guns are finding their way into the most ordinary of people’s lives; for every 100 people in the United States approximately 101.5 own a firearm, claims gunpolicy.org.
Obtaining a gun isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s become easier than ever. Guns are able to be purchased for others who can not pass the background test. This act is known as straw purchasing. Acts such as gun trafficking and gun theft help as well. According to Washington Post, out of the mass shootings from 1983 to 2002, 50 of the killers had their weapon legally, compared to the 10 who had illegally obtained their weapon.
Shooters are gaining access to guns by simply stealing them from their parents. Accidental shootings have risen to 1,768 in 2015, according to gunviolencearchive.org. Toddlers and children alike are mistaking unsecured guns for toys, leading them to unintentionally end their lives. According to everytownresearch.org, over two-thirds of these deaths could be avoided with stricter firearm security.
Since the horrendous Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, school systems around the country are integrating school shooting protocol into their lesson plans; it as normalized as a lesson of arithmetic. ALICE (standing for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) specializes in such procedures and is featured in over 1,600 schools, preparing children to actively and logically respond in life-risking situations. Children as young as eight-years-old are being taught by their teachers to throw items like books and food cans at shooters says BreitBart.com.
Instead of living the care-free life of an elementary school student, children are taught to prepare for the worst.
Police are encouraging the public to prepare for active shooters in case they do not get to the event in time. Despite the contrary tale of police protection, the manner is being left in the public’s hands. According to 60 Minutes, 60 percent of mass shootings end before the officer arrives, and it may take the police hours to find and kill the shooter.
Countries such as Japan, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom have mandated stricter gun control laws after gun-related tragedies. These restrictions alone have lowered gun-related violence tremendously.
Japan, out of these countries, has an incredibly strict gun control policy. Citizens can not touch or own guns or multitudes of other weapons. Touching a weapon can land one ten years in prison, claims Business Insider. According to Nation Master, compared to the United States, the United States holds an 89% gun violence rate while Japan’s is less than one percent.
Despite these constant mass shootings, there is a lack of reform in the United States.
Instead, people opt for a more regulated background check, claiming if mentally ill people do not have guns, it would lessen gun violence.
Mass shootings are currently one of the nation’s top threats.
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Sources
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Japan/United-States/Crime
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/responding-to-an-active-shooter-60-minutes-anderson-cooper/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/responding-to-an-active-shooter-60-minutes-anderson-cooper/
http://abcnews.go.com/US/students-trained-fight-armed-attackers/story?id=17689633
http://www.alicetraining.com/what-we-do/alice-components/
