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Katherine Daugherty

Prof. Richardson

ENG 1201 Online

21 March 2019

Gun Violence in America

One of the first major mass shootings I can remember was at Sandy Hook Elementary

School in Newtown, Connecticut. I was in sixth grade, and we heard about it from all of our

teachers. I went home that day to find my mom crying silently, watching the news reporter talk

about the twenty six and seven year olds that were murdered. We all thought of my little brother,

who was seven at the time, and how it would tear us to pieces to have something so terrible

happen to him. The movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado a few months earlier made me

afraid to go to movie theaters for years. The shooting at the gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016

made me think of two of my cousins, who are gay, and who shouldn’t be afraid to go out or be

themselves. The shooting at the Texas church in 2017 made me think of my dad, uncle, and aunt,

who all go to church every weekend, and deserve to worship without fear of being killed. The

shootings in at Columbine High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Virginia

Tech, and Sandy Hook Elementary School made me afraid to go to school. No matter where I go,

there is always a little itch in the back of my mind that makes me think about what I would do.

Where would I go if a shooter came in? What would I do? Would I hide? Would I help people?

At the grocery, the mall, the movie theater, and even at school. Where is the way out? Instead of

having to worry about the ways we would react to a shooter, the United States should introduce

gun control to reduce the chance of mass shootings happening in the first place. The United
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States should place stricter regulations on purchasing and owning firearms because of the

frequency of mass shootings and gun violence in America, the irresponsible storage of firearms,

and the irresponsible use of firearms.

People, especially young people, tend to not pay attention to what is going on in the

government. Some people don’t even know what gun legislation the US has in place right now.

The American public tends to support stricter gun control, but believe that it has already been

enacted, and therefore do not pay close attention to the legislation in the polls. “41% (38–43) of

Americans believed that universal background checks are already required by federal law,”

(Aronow 1). A specific example of something the public tends to overlook is background checks.

Background checks are not universal, meaning that not all gun sellers are required by federal law

to conduct a background check before making a sale. A survey found that 41% of people believe

that background checks are required by federal law, which is a misconception. Licensed gun

dealers must require background checks from buyers, but private sellers online and at gun shows

are not required to run the same background checks. In order to form a strong opinion and be

able to vote based on beliefs, people must be more informed about the country’s legislation.

Understanding the problem and what can be done about it is a good first step toward solving it. It

is believed that universal background checks would “substantially reduce the number of

gun-related deaths in the USA” (Aronow 1). With more public awareness of the fact that

background checks are not universal, people can have more informed votes and work to achieve

universal background checks.

America has a higher frequency of mass shootings and gun violence than most countries

in the world. Studies have shown “that the numbers of deaths due to firearms were six times
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greater in the United States than in Canada and Australia” (Kamal). Between 2001 and 2014,

there were 440,095 deaths by guns in the US. From 2007 to 2014, the average number of active

shooting events has jumped to 16.4, as opposed to the 6.4 incident average from 2000 to 2006.

Of the twelve deadliest shootings in US history, six have happened since 2007 (Ehrenfreund). In

most cases of mass violence, the “killers had obtained their weapons legally,” (Ehrenfreund)

meaning that people who buy guns legally still can end up being mentally incompetent. Some

incidents of mass violence make people think: “how was he/she ever allowed to buy a gun in the

first place?” which verifies the idea that the United States needs strengthened universal

background checks. Studies have also shown that states with more gun regulations have much

lower rates of gun violence than states without stricter gun regulations. Americans tend to

support stricter gun control, but incidents of violence don’t change the minds of people who are

not supporters. The US is an outlier compared to other countries in terms of events of violence,

as seen in the graph below. Informing the voting public about what is going on in terms of
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legislation in our country will ensure that people will begin to understand what they are voting

for. Although gun ownership rates are overall declining in the US, “about a third of all

Americans with children under 18 at home have a gun in their household” (Ehrenfreund) which

makes it easy for small children and teenagers to access weapons and misuse them.

Increasing and strengthening gun legislation in the US will decrease the frequency of

mass shootings and gun violence. It is important to understand that gun violence is more

prevalent in the US that in other countries, and the prevalence can be reduced by implementing

stricter regulations, such as universal background checks and more in-depth background checks.

States with stricter gun regulations have fewer incidents of gun violence, as seen in the image

below. An early 2000s survey compared the US to Canada, a country with more strict gun
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regulations, and “found not only that a larger majority in Canada (61 percent) than the United

States (51 percent) wanted ‘more strict’ gun laws but that 63 percent of Canadians did not

believe that the general public ‘should be allowed, by law, to own a gun’” (Fleming). In contrast,

when Americans were asked in the same survey their opinions on the idea of banning citizens

from carrying handguns, 65 percent of those surveyed were opposed. The polarization of

political parties and their opinions on gun control plays a major role in the lack of change in

terms of gun regulations.

Compared to other countries, the US is especially in a political gridlock over the issue of

gun control. In a study comparing similar events of mass violence in the US and Canada, it was

concluded that “the federal legislative response in the United States is significantly less

impactful than the legislative response in Canada” (Kamal). Comparatively, countries with less

polarized political parties than the United States tend to be able to implement major changes,

such as gun control, more easily than the US. Major shootings tend to elicit more of a public

response in countries like Canada. Two shootings studied were at Ecole Polytechnique and

Concordia University, and following both shootings, legislation was introduced and eventually

implemented. After shootings like Sandy Hook and Columbine, questions regarding gun policies

were raised, and some minor legislation was introduced, but nothing major was ever

implemented. It is predicted that under the Trump administration, “it will likely be very difficult

to pass any stringent laws that can control gun ferocities” (Kamal) because of the Republican

Party’s tendency to favor more lenient gun laws.

About a week ago, there was a shooting at a mosque in New Zealand. This was an act of

hate and violence, and it was handled much differently than it would have been handled in the
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United States. Just days after the tragic shooting, legislation banning the sales of assault rifles

was introduced. The efficiency and promptness with which the new legislation was introduced

was very different than in the US. Even after the Las Vegas casino shooting and the Marjory

Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, there was no move toward stricter regulations or even

banning of assault rifles, despite the public outcry for action.

Irresponsible storage of firearms plays a role in gun violence, as anyone can get ahold of

a gun that isn’t locked up or properly stored. Shootings by younger teens are usually as a result

of children getting ahold of their parents’ weapons that are not stored properly. Eleven states

have laws on storage requirements, Massachusetts being the strictest, and “​gun owners there risk

punishment of 18 months in prison and fines up $7,500 if they don’t store their guns with a lock

or in a safe” ​(Yablon). 27 states do punish parents if their guns fall into the hands of a child.

About 400 Americans died in 2015 in unintentional home shootings due to improper storage of

firearms (Yablon). Legislation simply requiring gun owners to lock up their guns would reduce

the amount of unintentional gun violence. Although there are plenty of appeals from lawmakers

and parents who have experienced loss from improperly stored firearms, there will always be

people whose minds can’t be changed. There are people who claim that guns are necessary as

means of self-defense, and must be available in a moment’s notice in the case of a home invasion

in the middle of the night. These gun owners argue that gun storage laws actually increase deaths

because their means of self-defense are locked up and out of reach, which would allow them to

be harmed or killed before they can defend themselves. A 1997 study showed that with the

implementation of gun storage laws in certain states, these states “​saw unintentional shooting

deaths of children and teens younger than 15 fall 25 percent between 1990 and 1994” (Yablon).
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The storage laws prevent unintentional deaths because the guns are out of the reach of children

and young teens.

Although unintentional shootings are less prevalent than intentional gun violence, there is

still a reality behind them. Children can access a gun and accidentally kill themselves or others,

but a child with easy access to a gun can also use that weapon to intentionally hurt others. The

idea that locking up guns can lead to deaths in a home invasion or a robbery has been disputed

by researchers on the grounds “that ​guns are almost never used against home invaders, and that

most burglaries don’t involve contact between the criminal and the victim” (Yablon).

Strengthening gun control can be as simple as requiring guns to be locked up and would still

make an impact on the number of lives lost to guns every year.

There isn’t much of a problem with owning firearms until they are used in a manner that

was not intended. Many of the weapons used in mass shootings or incidents of extreme gun

violence are obtained legally, as seen in the graph below, but are obtained without a proper
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background check. These days, guns aren’t necessarily needed to hunt for food, as most people

have access to grocery stores and restaurants, and, as mentioned earlier, guns are not often used

against home invaders. Mentally incompetent people who are sometimes at fault for gun violence

incidents usually are not fit to own or use a gun, and in most cases the gun is sold with an

improper background check, or no background check at all. Congress also has been focusing on

shooters’ mental illnesses and drug use, along with proposing a ban on firearms within the

proximity of certain high-level federal officials. Many people also believe that when it comes to

gun laws, there can either be zero restrictions or total restrictions. This is not the case, as there

are “restrictive” gun policies, “punitive” gun policies, and “lenient” gun policies. Restrictive

policies would “ban or regulate certain firearms,” (Fleming) punitive policies would “penalize

the person for the unlawful use of firearms,” (Fleming) and lenient policies would “encourage

gun ownership and emphasize gun rights” (Fleming). When many people who are strong

supporters of gun rights hear that people want more regulations on guns, they can tend to believe

that people just want an outright ban on guns. This is sometimes the case, but there are other

options for gun control. Gun control legislation can be as simple as punishing people for

unlawful use of firearms; it doesn’t necessarily mean a total ban.

There have been efforts outside of politics and public rallies for gun legislation. There are

gun control groups, such as Everytown, that support and endorse gun control policies.

“​Everytown said that 150 of the 196 candidates endorsed by its political arm, the Everytown for

Gun Safety Action Fund, in the midterm elections won seats” (Zezima).​ They include places

where gun control has not always been a supported issue, such as Kansas and Nevada. The group

spent $30 million on midterm elections and contributions, and had a lot of success reaching
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young voters with their mobilization after the Parkland, Florida high school shooting. In 2018,

20 states passed laws that regulate firearms with aims to reduce gun violence, including a raising

of the minimum age to purchase rifles to 21. Eight states passed laws that allow courts to

confiscate guns from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others. “​12 states made it

more difficult for those convicted of domestic abuse or are subject to a restraining order to obtain

firearms”​ (Zezima). Groups like Everytown make a difference in the public’s view of gun

control issues. Everytown is gathering supporters and raising awareness in hopes of making a

difference in gun control issues.

Many people are not in favor of strengthening gun control. Some people take literal

interpretations of the Constitution and the Second Amendment, and would view the banning of

any type of gun to be unconstitutional. People argue that they keep guns in their homes for

self-defense reasons, which is where the issue of “stand your ground” laws come into play.

"Stand your ground" laws, allowing individuals to use deadly force in self-defense when faced

with a perceived threat -- were associated with increased mortality” ​(Boston University Medical

Center). There is always the issue of some people not following laws that they are supposed to,

in the case of vendors who do not properly conduct background checks. Many people argue that

if guns are banned or strictly regulated, people will still find a way to access guns, even if they

must do so illegally. People also believe that “if someone wants to kill a person, they’ll find a

way,” meaning that there will still be violence and people will still get their hands on guns even

if guns are more strictly regulated or even if certain types are banned.

The thought persists in the back of my mind: what would I do? There’s no way of

knowing how I, or anyone else, would react to being put in a life threatening situation, like a
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mass shooting. As long as gun regulations are pushed to the back burner and thought out of

existence at the legislative level, there are still people like me, always looking over our shoulder,

always wondering what that person is carrying in that backpack, and always looking for a way

out just to feel more secure. My art teacher has a drawer full of hammers in her classroom in case

we need to defend ourselves. Another one of my teachers has a box full of rocks that we can

throw if we need to. A teacher that I have had all four years of high school teared up as she told

us how we’d escape if we ever had to. Any time the announcement system comes on

unexpectedly, everyone in the room holds their breath and expects the worse. School was always

a safe place for me as a child; I never thought that anything could go wrong there. Now, as I’ve

grown and began to experience the world, I know that there is no safe place from a person with a

gun who wants to do harm. Placing stricter regulations on guns can decrease the frequency of

mass shootings and the irresponsible use and storage of firearms. Not all gun policies have to be

total banning or restriction, but, then again, would it be the worst thing in the world to live in a

country where you don’t have to constantly look for a way out?
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Works Cited

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Boston University Medical Center. "Three state laws that 'substantially reduce' gun deaths."

ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 March 2016.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160310214136.htm​.

Ehrenfreund, Max, and Goldfarb, Zachary A. “11 Essential Facts about Guns and Mass

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