In the last few years, the number of shootings in America has increased. People are afraid to leave their homes, especially after dark. And with good reason. Every day there is a new report of someone being shot somewhere. We live in a time when every other person knows someone who’s been shot or knows someone who will soon be shot. As a country, we need to stop this madness before it gets any worse and begin working on solutions that will reduce gun violence and its toll on our communities. Every year, more than 100 Americans are killed by guns in school shootings; the numbers from 2018 are even higher than usual — so far this year, we’ve seen almost as many school shootings as days in the calendar. It’s an epidemic, but there is something you can do about it.
What’s Causing All This Gun Violence?
There are roughly 350 million firearms in the country, which is a staggering number. This poses a unique challenge for law enforcement and policy-makers. There are a lot of guns out there, and many people have them. When people own guns, it’s important to have them responsibly. However, many of these guns are not being handled responsibly. A lot of them are being stolen, trafficked, or sold illegally, which poses a threat to everyone around them. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific cause of the recent rise in gun violence. There are a lot of factors at play, including what researchers call “the path to violence.” The path to violence, according to researchers, can be broken down into three components: the propensity for violence, the precipitating event, and the decision to act. The propensity for violence is a person’s underlying tendency towards violence. The precipitating event is the reason the person chooses to act on his or her propensity for violence. The decision to act is whether or not the person follows through.
Why Is It So Hard to Stop Gun Violence?
As mentioned above, there are a lot of guns in the U.S., and they are used often. A staggering 40% of households have at least one gun, and these households own an average of 3.2 guns. The sheer number of guns in the country makes it very hard to pass laws that would control the way they are purchased or owned. For example, while the U.S. accounts for less than 5% of the global population, we own almost half of the world’s guns. There’s also the issue of culture. In many parts of the country, gun ownership is part of the culture. People have grown up around guns and have learned to handle and own them from a very young age. These are people who are unlikely to give up their guns even when faced with statistics that show how dangerous it can be to own a gun.
What Can Be Done To Reduce Gun Violence?
There are a few things that can be done to reduce gun violence. One of the most important things to do is to improve mental health resources and expand the criteria for who can receive treatment. There are also things that law enforcement and policy-makers can do. They can strengthen gun laws, increase mental health screening for firearm purchases, and enforce the laws that are already in place. We can also work to change society’s relationship with guns. We can teach children that guns are dangerous and that they should leave them alone. We can also talk to our friends and families about responsible gun ownership.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that the gun violence in America is out of control. It’s an epidemic that is killing thousands of people every year and affecting millions more. There are many factors that have contributed to this rise in violence, and it will take a lot of work to bring it back under control. However, it can be done. All it takes are the right policies and a little bit of effort from everyone. We need to strengthen our current gun laws, improve mental health resources, work to change society’s relationship with guns, and most importantly, we need to be honest with each other. Only then can we end the gun violence in America and begin to heal as a country.