Children Dying? Who Cares? It's My Right!
“Mom...mom... There’s a shooter in the building... He’s so close”
“Sarah? Sarah slow down stay wi-” her mom trembles as she's cut off again. In the background of the call, you can hear slamming in the background.
“Mom, he’s here, I love you mom, I-” Shots rang out on Sarahs side of the line, and that was the last Sarahs mom heard from her. 44 parents got the news that day that their child would not be coming home that night, due to a newly 18-year-old male with strapped with an AK-47.
Mass shootings are acts of murder upon a group of people of 4 or more. Mass shootings are often done in public settings such as schools, protests, or big events involving many people. The predicted reasonings behind these shootings are mental illness, gun owner eligibility, and the irresponsibility of the governments handling on the Constitution. However, there are solutions that would possibly lead to less life altering mass shootings. Most of America unfortunately tend to be far too stubborn to look at these solutions.
More thorough background checks, a higher age requirement, a change in constitution, and overall stricter gun laws would result in less mass shootings.
In an article by the National Library of Medicine, the authors state that “reports suggest that up to 60% of perpetrators of mass shootings in the United States since 1970 displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions, and depression before committing their crimes.”
With the current gun laws, usafacts.org says people who are prohibited from purchasing a gun include those who have been deemed as mentally unfit by a court and those who have been admitted to a mental health facility. Not everyone who has been diagnosed with mental illness are admitted to a mental health facility. At times, many people who need help from a facility refuse to accept help, let alone be admitted. This leaves many people with mental illnesses still available to purchase a firearm.
Those who have mental illnesses may have manic episodes, or moments of downward spiraling. This leads to impulse and unnecessary decisions. Paymentcloudinc.com says that there is no current federal waiting period to purchase a gun. Background checks are not required for people who purchase guns from private sellers. This is basically saying that any person who may be spiraling over any situation can make the impulsive decision to purchase a gun and shoot up a school.
So next time Billy Bob threatens to do bad things because Sally Sue broke up with him, don’t be surprised if he pulls up to a school near you. I’m sure he'll do that instead of admitting himself to a mental hospital.
Although we consider 18 as an ‘adult’ a young aged ‘adult’ can purchase a gun. The drinking age, however, is 21. Someone can purchase a gun that could literally kill somebody before they are able to purchase alcohol legally. Peer Reviewed journal by Jama Pediatrics says, “Youth and young adults are at higher risk of violent behavior toward themselves and others, owing in part to biological processes during adolescence and early adulthood; the brain areas that govern capabilities for risk-reward assessment and impulse control are still developing well into the early 20s.”
This researched information explains how the brain is not yet fully developed, just as alcohol should not be consumed to affect these developments. A gun should not be purchased when the brain is not mature enough to make smart decisions. If a young person is to not be trusted with alcohol because they are too young, then they should not be trusted to even put their hands on a gun.
It can be argued that due to the second amendment, this is what our country is for. Hill Billy Bob might say, “It’s a free country and the second amendment protects my right to have my guns!” Yeah Billy Bob, you might be right, but maybe if you would just open your eyes to the world, and not realize everything is about you, you’d soon realize that America is embarrassing itself.
The second amendment may give Americans the ability to own a gun, but the Constitution was created right after one of the biggest wars to date. Peer Reviewed Journal by Pitrina Gilger says “The Framers originally intended the Second Amendment to protect state militias from interference by the federal government...” This amendment was originally intended for state militias, standard people. It wasn’t meant for Billy Bob to be able to shoot up some deer, let alone a school.
Thousands of people are killed each year due to gun violence. People like Billy Bob may not care because it’s his right! But I’m sure Billy Bob would care if his beloved Sally Sue was shot while in the middle of class. Hundreds of school shootings happen every year due to mental illness, gun owner eligibility, and irresponsibly of the government's handling of the constitution. Nobody wants to do something until it happens to them. How long will you wait before it happens to you?
Comments
Post a Comment