Guns vs. Students
For many years, the United States has experienced a series of school shootings, each one more devastating than the previous. The number of shootings has also increased rapidly over time. Only three months into the year 2018, the incidents of gun violence in school had set a new record. By the end of the year, statistics indicated that 2018 had the highest incidents of gun violence on record. Fast forward to 2019, today we are in the fifth week of the year yet there are reported already 25 mass shootings many reported in institutions of learning. Concerned people, like me, agree that the existing gun laws are not stringent enough to curb the rampant cases of gun violence. My question is, what can be done to stop this horrendous behavior? Is legislating for stricter gun laws going to deliver the much-needed change or should we keep looking for better solutions to rid ourselves of this senseless destruction of young lives finally?
During my research process, I came across many articles to discuss the rising cases of gun violence across America. After sifting through some articles discussing gun violence, I was particularly attracted to the article titled Historical Examination of United States Intentional Mass School Shootings in the 20th and 21st Centuries: Implications for Students, Schools, and Society.”. The authors give a historical perspective of mass shootings across the country and the impact it has on the academic processes. The article gives a chronological order of mass shooting in schools including recent notable incidents of school gun violence. Authors Katsiyannis et al. argue that the lack of effective gun control measures is a major factor in increased incidents of gun violence in schools. Among notable incidents of gun violence captured in the article is the murder of seventeen people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida while ten others were killed at Santa Fe High School in Houston, Texas (Katsiyannis 2564). A large number of casualties helped to catapult gun violence menace into international media.
Although the article by Katsiyannis et al. raised important issues such as lack of security in most schools, it also left me with the desire to get supporting ideas but explained from a different perspective. After skimming through some articles, I came across an immaculately titled article “The burden of firearm violence in the United States: stricter laws result in safer states.” written by Faisal Jehan. In support of gun control measures, the article gives takes the case for stricter gun control areas by comparing states that have stringent laws on firearms and those without. The author expresses disapproval with excuses given for lack of concrete but necessary legislation against carrying automatic rifles and other combat weapons in civilian hands. After reading the article, I found it is unsettling that despite the widespread public interest in gun violence especially in institutions of learning, politicians and individuals charged with unique powers to bring about legislative changes do not seem to agree on how to control gun violence.
The public debate on gun control, especially between conservatives and liberals, has often centered on the issue of mental illness and how it contributes to mass shootings. I came across tens of articles that discussed the issue of mental health. However, this article by Metzl and MacLeish captivated my interest given the way the author succinctly covered the topic from the two perspectives of political divide in America. The author argues that the high prevalence of mental illness in the United States is reason enough to put in place laws that will bar mentally ill persons from acquiring guns. Unlike many articles touching on mental illness, the author also notes that other countries with comparatively similar high incidence rates for mental ill health utilize background checks to ensure mentally deranged persons do not pose a security threat to the public by owning guns (Metzl and MacLeish 1). I found this argument refreshing given the fact that most articles quote mental illness to trivialize the need for gun control laws.
When exploring the subject of gun violence, I realized that this is a highly emotive and divisive issue. An interesting article by Masters Jonathan compared the impact of gun control legislation in America with its peers across the world. I found myself engrossed in an article titled U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons. Council on Foreign Relations. The author is categorical that the United States has some of the weakest gun laws among its peers in the developed world. The author noted that developed countries such as Germany and Britain require a person to undergo a thorough background check and other stringent measures before accessing a gun (Masters 3). These measures may include checking the mental health of the applicant and the criminal history if any. Other measures in gun control laws would entail gun holders to undergo specific training processes to ensure that they are aware of safety measures, rules governing locking up of firearms and reasons justifying the need to own and use a gun. While self-defense is a common reason for wanting to own a gun, in more strict countries like Sweden, the law requires justifying ownership of a gun beyond pleading for self-defense.
I needed to get some opposing views on the need to develop gun control laws. After perusing through academic articles in various online repositories, I came across this article by Swanson titled “Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to policy.” The author claims that many of the individuals accused of committing gun-related violence are known to have had past episodes of mental illnesses. Accordingly, the articles claim that drug and substance abuse that is prevalent in the youth and young adult populations in the American public is the main contributor to gun violence. Combating mass shootings in schools and beyond requires government policy measures that address the high prevalence of mental illness averaging at 18.5% of the population per year.
Philpott‐Jones wrote another article that I found to express reservations about gun control measures. Titled Mass shootings, mental illness, and gun control, the author argues that any legislation to curb gun usage without recognizing mental health issues may not realize its anticipated impact on reducing gun violence. I will use the information to counter the popular sentiments expressed in support of gun laws.
At the end of my research, I noted the widespread views in favor of tightening gun ownership laws. In many articles, the United States is depicted as having weak restrictions that allow for the proliferation of arms into the hands of criminals. Criminals and mentally ill people use the weapons to injure, maim, and kill students and the larger public. Opponents of gun control laws argue that the government should redirect its renewed vigor on gun control laws toward improving the mental health of Americans that is suspected of being the driver for increased mass shootings.
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