Gun Violence and

Mass Shootings
In America
By: Marco Mejia and Arielle Cohen
What’s the Issue?
● Around 33,550 lives are lost every year due to guns, which is one every 15 minutes, the
same number of people that are killed on America’s roads.
● Including violent injuries, that number rises to around 100,000 people per year.
● 60% of gun deaths are suicides.
● African Americans make up 13% of the population but over half of gun murder victims.
Residents of predominantly black neighborhoods reports symptoms of PTSD at rates
comparable to war veterans.
● Partisan support of issues:
○ Background Checks:
■ Democrat: 80%
■ Republican: 54%
○ Prevent Mentally Ill from Owning Guns:
■ Democrat: 89%
■ Republican: 89%
○ Ban Assault Weapons:
■ Democrats: 90%
■ Republicans: 77%

*Republicans are more moderate on gun control issues than many people think.
...More Background Info
● The U.S. gun death rate is 4x that of Switzerland, 5x that of Canada, 35x that of the United Kingdom, and
53x that of Japan.
● The U.S has less than 5% of the world’s populations but owns about 35-50 percent of the world’s civilian
owned guns.
● Rates of gun homicide and other gun crimes have dropped in the U.S. since highs in the early 1990s.
● Handguns cause 70% of firearm deaths, shotguns cause 3.73%, Rifles cause 3.55%, the rest are caused
with other guns or guns not stated.
● 84% of police officers have stated in a recent survey that they have directly witnesses a fellow officer
using more force than was necessary.
● 1 in 4 people who are killed by law enforcement officials in the United States are unarmed.
● The most common form of police misconduct is excessive force, next is sexual assault.
The Ongoing Debate
● An article in the Guardian argues that policies need to be focused more on preventing
community violence rather than integrating security in schools and preventing mentally ill
people from obtaining firearms. However, the authors of the article do acknowledge that,
because most violence is concentrated in certain neighborhoods of the country, many
people feel as though they will never be affected. Thus, the publicity of mass shootings
may help the movement gain more momentum as people will connect to the issue and help
work towards better gun violence policies (“America’s Gun Problem”).
● On the other hand, many pro-gun supporters argue that democrats will take away their
2nd amendment rights to bear arms if more regulations are put on guns. They have the
mentality that, if the government takes this right right away, the implications of this
decision might be dangerous, as there is no limit to the other rights they may take away.
The National Rifle Association Publications, for example, publishes articles with headlines
such as “Mail Call: It’s Not Just Your Guns They Want To Take Away,” and, “Childress
says, ‘The Second Amendment Saved Our Lives.’” (“NRA Publications”).
● When walking about this issue, it is hard to appease both sides. Many elected officials are
inexorable about the issue.
Gun Policies in America
● Massachusetts has the most comprehensive gun laws in the country. To obtain a gun, you
have to first get a permit to purchase a gun from the local police department (a
weeks-long process including paperwork, an interview and a background check). Then,
you can go to a gun store and show your license and permit. Your gun has to be registered
with the Massachusetts Gun Transactions Portal. If the gun is transferred to a different
person, that also has to be recorded in the state’s database. The result: significantly fewer
gun deaths (3.5 deaths per 100,000 people as opposed to New Hampshire’s 9.9 deaths) (“I
Looked”).
● In January 2016, President Obama passed a measure that requires firearm dealers at gun
shows or online to obtain federal licenses and conduct background checks (“U.S. Gun
Policy”).
● States such as Idaho, Alaska, and Kansas have attempted to nullify the federal regulations
of guns but legal analysts say this is unconstitutional (“U.S. Gun Policy”).
● There have been no federal laws banning semi automatic assault weapons, military-style
.50 caliber rifles, handguns, or high-capacity magazines (“U.S. Gun Policy”).
Mass Shootings

● 1% of all gun violence events

● Notable shootings and casualties:
○ Columbine: 12 students and one teacher
○ Sandy Hook: 20 students and six adults
○ Aurora: 12 killed, 70 injured
○ Las Vegas Shooting: 58 killed, 851 injured
○ Parkland Shooting: 15 killed
○ Texas Church: 26 killed
 ‘Why’ Lyrics

She sees him, They do nothing, He hears him. They do nothing,

He raises his gun, At all. The gun shots get closer, At all.

Pulls the trigger, Day after day after day. He trembles and hides. Day after day after day.

And she screams. If only, you saw. He hears him, If only, you saw.

She sees him, The last rise and fall The sound’s getting louder, The last rise and fall

And tries to run, Of her chest as she lay. He can’t get away, Of his chest as he lay.

But she falls down, Why? He yells out he cries. Why?

to her knees.
Lyrics Explanation
The song mainly focuses on mass shootings and the experiences of people who have been
present during a mass shooting. Both the girl and the boy in the song die in the mass shooting,
but what the song doesn’t detail are the long-term psychological effects, including PTSD, anger,
withdrawal, and desensitization to violence that survivors of gun violence often face (Garbarino,
James, et al.). However, this phenomena is nothing out of the ordinary as gun culture is
permeated through American society

The song questions the inaction of elected officials to take action on this issue, asking “Why” this
gun violence is still an issue. Here, the song takes a stance on the gun issue and aligns more with
the liberal view. The lyrics read, “they do nothing at all,” meaning that there is very little political
progress for gun violence prevention. The lyrics, “If only you say the last rise and fall of her/his
chest as she/he lay,” are directed to anyone who may think that they are not affected by gun
violence in America. While many are not directly affected, people who are bystanders are a part
of the problem. These lyrics mean that, if you saw someone get murdered, you would most
certainly take action to end gun violence. When people are dying in America, everyone should
join in and take action to create policies that will ultimately save the lives of thousands.
Movement Explanation
● The first half of the song is bringing attention to Arielle and the second half is bring
attention to Marco. We did so because we wanted to let people know that everybody
(male and female) have been and are affected by this issue.
● The first verse:
○ “Trigger” Arielle is shot up to resemble a gun being shot (a trigger being pulled)
○ “She sees him,” Both dancers are pointing various directions to symbolize the chaos
○ “And tries to run, but she falls down,” The fast turn is mean to portray someone trying to get away
fast, but cannot get away from the issue, therefore they fall.
● The first time Arielle sings the pre-chorus:
○ “Day after day after day” The fast sharp movement shows how politicians continually miss the
point and offer solutions like arming teachers and bringing more guns into society instead of
getting straight to the point and fixing the problem..
○ “If” When we put our hand together, it is meant to signify people begging politicians to actively
seek a change.
○ “Saw” We put our hands in each other’s faces to show how politicians are blind to the fact that only
because they weren’t harshly affected by these mass shootings, it doesn’t mean that others
weren’t as well. Many elected officials are also backed by the NRA, making them blind to the issues
and solutions.
Movement Explanation continued
● The second verse:
○ “He trembles” Marco literally trembles onto the floor
○ “Hides” Both dances slide in different directions to symbolize someone seeking some kind of
shelter.
○ “He hears him” We are still on the floor because we are in shock that a shooter is near us.
○ “The sound’s getting louder” We put our hands over our ears while trembling backward because
we are afraid of the shooter and the gun shots are too loud
○ “He can’t get away” Marco does a trick on the floor (on one hand) and quickly rolls because he is
trying to get away from the shooter.
● The second time Arielle sings the pre-chorus:
○ “Day after day after day” the repetition on the floor and spinning symbolizes how this issue is
constantly coming back up and continually not being fixed.
○ “You” Pointing toward politicians.
○ “The last rise and fall” The movements are very large and lively to represent a child, but we quickly
fall to the floor to represent a fallen child due to these mass shootings.
○ “Why” we do a la second turns as repetition to represent how repetitive this issue is and how we
can’t give up on trying to fix it.
 Movement Explanation continued

● Arielle walks on Marco’s back to show how people are always trying to seek and enact
change.
● Marco pulls back Arielle to show how we are held back from actually enacting change.
● The lift represents the struggle of having to carry the weight that people continually die
because there is no change.
● The final scene represents how although some people may not be affected by these
shooting, lives have still been lost and other people have been affected.
Costuming

The white clothing symbolizes a hope for peace and change in our
country. As we continually get dirtier, the dirt represents how people
keep fighting for gun control, the change is postponed.
Dance Video
Works Cited
Beckett, Lois, et al. “America's Gun Problem Is so Much Bigger than Mass Shootings.”
The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 June 2016, www.theguardian.com/
us-news/2016/jun/21/gun-control-debate-mass-shootings-gun-violence.
Garbarino, James, et al. “Mitigating the Effects of Gun Violence on Children and Youth.”
The Future of Children, vol. 12, no. 2, 2002, pp. 73–85. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/1602739.
Lopez, German. “I Looked for a State That's Taking Gun Violence Seriously.
I Found Massachusetts.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 13 Nov. 2018, www.vox.com/
2018/11/13/17658028/massachusetts-gun-control-laws-licenses.
Masters, Jonathan. “U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons.” Council on Foreign
Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 14 Nov. 2017, www.cfr.org/
backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons.
“NRA Publications.” NRA Publications, National Rifle Association,
www.nrapublications.org/.
“Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting: What Happened?” CNN, Cable News Network,
www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html.