Rise Of Mass Shootings

On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. This was considered one of the worst school shootings to occur at that time. In the morning of April 20, before noon, the two juveniles had killed 13 people to include 12 students and 1 teacher; they also wounded another 23 people before turning the guns on themselves. This event would change the theories as to why school shootings would occur. (History)

School violence is an all too common event reported throughout history. Shootings and massacres are not a recent phenomenon, however, a historical recurrence . The first known case of a school massacre was reported July, 26th, 1764, an incident of the Pontiac War. Three Native American men raided a schoolhouse, in now present day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, and killed the Schoolmaster, Enoch Brown, and took the lives of 10 boys. Hundreds of years later, cases such as these happen all too frequently. In May 21st, 1998, Springfield, Oregon was struck with the news of a school shooting at Thurston High School. 15 year old, Kip Kinkel, first killed his parents at home before driving to school where he fatally shot two students, and wounded 22 others. Littleton, Colorado, on April 20th, 1999, was once the most fatal attack on a school. 18 year old, Eric Harris, and Dylan Klebold, 17, planned out their attack for a year, to kill at least 500 peers, and detonate the school. The shooting killed 12 students, one teacher, and wounded 21 others before committing suicide.

Will banning of assault weapons reduce crime? The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. According to “The Washington Post”, banning assault weapons will not reduce crime. It will only lead to banning of guns. In the post, they state, “It 's only real justification  not to reduce crime, but to make the ownership of weapons to the public less.” By making the ownership of weapons less, the crime rate will most likely decrease, individuals will feel more comfortable walking out-side.

It was on February 14, 2018 when Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He opened fire and in the end, 17 people were killed. Although there had been several school shootings that had already happened before, like the Columbine High school shooting where 13 people died, the recent incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida caused a turning point in history because students all around the country were sick of constantly being in danger. In the articles, “Students plan Denver march focused on school safety” and “Organizers plan for 500,000 attendees at ‘March For Our Lives’ gun-control march in Washington,” students around the US are gathering together to voice their fear,

“Human nature is complex. Even if we do have inclinations toward violence, we also have inclination to empathy, to cooperation, to self-control” ("Steven Pinker Quote")These words spoken by Steven Pinker are hundred percent true. To Kill a Mockingbird’s empathy theme is still relevant today, because it can be found in events such as Sandy Hooks Elementary School and in a Poem named I Have Empathy For You.

Adam Peter Lanza was born on April 22, 1992 in Exeter, New Hampshire as the second child of parents Peter and Nancy Lanza. As a toddler, Adam experienced mental impediments which hindered his development. A report detailing Adam’s life before his crimes states that, “From an early age, Lanza experienced significant developmental challenges, particularly with language, communication and sensory integration...” (Ziv Newsweek P6). In addition to his troubled early childhood, Adam continued to show signs of unusual behavior. Adam’s first demonstration of violent thoughts was in the fifth grade, through a story called “The Big Book of Granny”. In this book, Adam and a classmate illustrated a disturbing story about a grandma who killed little children

April 16, 2007, started as a normal day. Virginia Tech students rushed to their classrooms to avoid being late, but little did they know the tragedy that was going to take place that dreadful day. Shortly after 10:00am 32 students lives had been taken by one of their fellow classmates. After the shooter ruthlessly shot and killed each one, he took his own life. April 16 will forever be recognized as a day of mourning and remembrance, but also as a day where we come together as a nation and overcome the defying odds we were left with.

School campus is a place for young minds to learn and grow in pursuit of a post-graduated life. Nothing is more exciting than the days leading up to graduation; to think, “I made it”. Years of pursuing passion and failing miserably, countless hours spent in a quiet library and thousands of dollars spent on coffee. All this hard work leads here to graduation, and they have earned it. These individuals put off desire and even life goals to achieve a brighter tomorrow, even if that means spending a Friday night at Willis Library or neglecting hobbies. They exert extreme care into their future with the assumption tomorrow has greater potential than today. “You can play now or play later” a phrase many undergrads are reminded constantly. Unfortunately, a growing concern inhabits the minds of college students, parents, and faculty after the Virginia Tech shooting. On April 16th, 2007 a senior at Virginia Tech fatally shot 32 people and 23 others wounded once the dust settled

Mass shooting episodes have increased over recent decade and received substantial media coverage during the last year. Multiple schools, clubs, and churches, and public places across the United States have been impacted, resulting in the deaths of innocent people.

Recently the amount of mass shooting that have happened in the United State within a short period of time have scared everyone. Many people are scared to go to the malls, movies, parks, and restaurants. “The FBI defines mass murder as murdering four or more persons during an event with no "cooling-off period" between the murders. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more people kill several others. Many acts of mass murder end with the perpetrator(s) dying by suicide or suicide by cop” (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2005).

In the documentary, Living for 32, Colin Goddard discusses his experience during a shooting at Virginia Tech. In April of 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech murdered 33 people including himself and injured 23 more using a Glock 19 and a P22. This massacre was considered one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history. The shootings occurred predominately in Norris hall, where Goddard was attending his French class. Goddard was shot four times in his hips and knees and only seven of his classmates survived out of class of 17. Colin Goddard is a passionate advocate for gun safety laws because of his personal encounter while in college and his experience with guns firsthand as well. I personally believe that his suggestions for

Gun violence is an unquestionable issue in America, with the United States ranking as one of the worst with both homicides and suicides using guns. That being said, we outnumber Mexico in gun related deaths and among first-world countries we rank far above others in the number of gun deaths, such as England and Australia. Consequently, we live in one of the only first world countries that does not have extensive gun laws and restrictions to gun access. Aside from the countless homicides and suicides by firearm in this country, one particular issue within this predicament is mass shootings, with the most recent mass shooting occurring on February 14th, 2018 at a high school in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed. Although, it may seem like an easy fix to just implement gun control laws into our society to eliminate gun violence, but it is important to note that Americans own nearly half of all firearms globally, which is roughly 325 million guns; when

Since the Columbine High School shooting, school shootings have become a common occurrence. People have become so accustomed to seeing them on the news, so we hardly bat an eye at them anymore. For every instance of a school shooting we see, there are hundreds of lawmakers making public that their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Frankly, those thoughts and prayers are simply not enough anymore. The Parkland shooting is one of many school shootings, that have brought light to the subject of gun violence in schools, and it is clear, if it hasn’t been one already, that gun regulation needs to change.

Mass Shootings have been pretty common in the U.S. In the past 30 years or so. According to the Congressional Research Service, there have been 78 mass shootings in the United States since 1983. The shootings have resulted in 547 deaths and 1,023 casualties. Mass shootings are only responsible for a very small percentage of deaths in the United States, but mass shootings are happening more often than ever, a mass shooting happens on average one time a month. Most of the suspects of mass shootings are young males who usually commit the crime on their own with careful planning of the event. Most perpetrators have a fascination with weapons and the shootings usually occur in broad daylight in public places (Frances).

“You’re watching television, you’re watching the news; you’re being pumped full of fear… and it’s just a campaign of fear and consumption. That’s what I think it’s all based on is the whole idea that keep everyone afraid and they’ll consume. And that’s really simple.” (Bowling). Mass murders occur throughout the world and affect every race and gender. Individuals have debated for years about what causes a person to commit these crimes. Mental illness, alcohol, drugs, rejection, access to guns, biological factors, violent entertainment, the list goes on and on. The three most talked about are access to guns, mental illness, and violent entertainment. Although access to guns, violent entertainment, and mental illness may play a role in mass shootings,