Gun Violence in America ( Chloe Rush #7)

 The problem of gun violence has been ravaging the United States for decades. With the growing numbers of mass shootings and gun related injuries, it is more important than ever to enact a change in our country. As mentioned in our text Fantasyland, if the founding fathers saw the state of our country and its gun violence, they would more than likely agree with the ideas of stricter gun laws. Our weapons now are much more advanced than in 1787 when the Constitution was written. The fathers of this nation had a small army in mind when they were writing the second amendment. Today however, according to the Congressional Budget Office, 1/6 of the federal funding goes to the military. This is something that the founding fathers never could have imagined. Kurt Andersen mentions in Fantasyland “In 1980 a decision passingly noted that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to have a gun only if it bears “some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia.”

According to the Washington Post, the typical musket during the Revolutionary War and was available when the Constitution was written fired about 3 rounds per minute with an accuracy range of around 50 meters. The modern day AR-15 can fire around 45 rounds per minute with an accuracy range about 550 meters. The guns that we have today can cause more damage than would have ever been imaginable in the 18th century. So why are they so accessible? You can get them as young as 18 in some states and they are available in stores where you can also buy your groceries like Walmart. All you need is an ID. No mental health checks, background checks, or training classes.

According to CNN, as of November 22, there have been 607 mass shootings this year. " So far, 3,179 people have been shot in mass shootings, resulting in 637 deaths and more than 2500 injured." And the numbers are only rising. There have been 257 shootings on school campuses in the year 2022, with the most notable being Uvalde. 2022 is the worst year on record. According to Fantasyland, people buy semi-automatic rifles more than any type of gun. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths from homicide, suicide, unintentional injuries, and police-involved shootings in the United States in the year 2020. ¼ people in America own a gun. Also, fewer than 8 million people or about 3% of Americans own about half the guns in the United States.

With all of this happening in our country it makes you think. Why does someone need an assault rifle? Kurt Andersen, the author of Fantasyland, believes that people want an AR because of the idea of owning and shooting one simply because of the fact that it makes them feel like a badass. One of the arguments for owning an assault rifle is for hunting purposes and they have been used for hunting in the past. However, hunting is not as prevalent in our society as it used to be. In recent years, only around 5% of people actually go hunting. So by using the argument for keeping assault rifles around for hunting reasons, its not a strong argument because of the 95% of people who don’t hunt. 

We are all familiar with conspiracy theories. I’m sure we have all had our fair share of scrolls deep into the internet and we come across them. Some are compelling and have a fair amount of evidence while others it seems like people thought of it while they may have been on some questionable substances. The subject of school shootings has a number of conspiracies surrounding it. The recent-ish case of Alex Jones and his defamation trial is a prime example. Many of these conspiracies are made by right-wing conservatives to diminish the left’s fight for stricter gun laws. Alex Jones being one of them. He believed that the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 was staged and put on by actors. Alex Jones did not win the defamation trial and is now required to pay nearly a billion dollars to the families of the victims of Sandy Hook. The families of the victims were harassed and given death threats by the supporters of Jones’ conspiracy. Some had gotten so bad that the victims of the families had to move because they were being harassed at their own home and places of work. There was also another theory proposed by Qanon that the Uvalde Elementary Shooting was also completely staged. Conspiracy theories like this are incredibly harmful and disrespectful to the victims of these terrible shootings and their families. It also does in fact hurt the argument for stricter gun laws. 

Gun violence does not only cost people their lives but it also costs a great deal of money. When 1200 American adults were asked how they would help reduce gun violence in 1998, the average they were willing to donate was about $250 per year. These funds could reduce gun crime by about 30%. This is equal to about 24 billion dollars or about 1 million per gunshot injury. The total cost of gunshot injuries for crime is around 80 billion dollars per year. 

So, how do we combat the growing epidemic of gun violence? The most important thing is to vote. It is critical to vote those into power who will use their position to enact positive reform. There is also a stigma around mental health especially with men that make people feel like they can't seek help. This could cause them to lash out in other ways causing harm to themselves or others. This is why it is important to end the stigma around seeking help for mental illness. You also should always be aware of your surroundings. If someone shows aggressive behavior or has a history of violence, you should report them to someone who can give them the proper help. 

SAMHSA Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990