Gun Violence In America: Inexcusable Death Rates And Shootings

We are never going to get a serious grip on gun violence in this country until we adopt comprehensive measures to keep guns away from people who should not have them,” (Reno). The United States government has neglected to counteract the issue of the developing rate of gun violence in America and is failing to construct gun policies that confiscate guns from people. In Gun Violence in Miami Dade County the gun violence in the area was populated by people who were associated with gangs and had possession of a gun. America is ailed by ineffective background checks which places guns in the wrong hands, generating inexcusable death rates and horrific shootings in this nation.

In present day society it is too easy to obtain possession of a firearm or the permit to legally acquire one. The absence of suitable and effective background checks illustrates a clear way for a citizen to purchase a gun without the proper requirements. According to a report observed by the Ammoland Incorporations “Majority of 400 million firearms in the United States are, unlicensed, untraceable, and unregistered,” (Weingarten). Americans unlawfully bear abundances of firearms in the United States without facing legal punishments. Weak government oversight into the execution of the Second Amendment has led to even weaker background checks and gun policies. The lack of regulation on manufactured and unregulated ownerships of guns indicates that the government is providing an environment that allows criminals, murders, and so forth to acquire firearms. Moreover, records of the sheer abundance of firearms, legally and illegally obtained in America emphasize there are more guns than people in America. For instance, studies and research reported by the Pew Research Center display “Americans make up less than five percent of the world population but possess forty six percent of civilian owned guns worldwide,” (Anastasia). Americans confuse owning firearms with the independence and freedom given to each citizen but fail to acknowledge the threat posed by firearms to the nation itself. Despite the number of firearms in other countries compared to the United States, “Canada, ranks 13th on the study’s list, with 9.95 million firearms or 31 per 100 residents. There are an estimated 270 million firearms in the United States which is 89 firearms per 100 residents, making the United States the number one country for gun ownership,” (Grant). In addition, the global Small Arms Survey, a project of the Graduate Institute of International Development Studies observed “There are more than 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the United States enough for every man, woman, and child to own one and have sixty-seven million guns left over,” (Ingraham). Every American that has the possession of a gun represents a number beyond the human population, which makes the number of firearms purchased in the United States exceedingly high. Gun ownership in America illegally or legally require thorough background checks and for that reason if the government continues to allow private transactions on guns, America will turn into the land of guns and the National Rifle Association will have too much power.

Gun Violence in the United States should be recognized as a true national emergency given its severity of its contribution to deaths and injuries in the United States. The use of firearms has formulated an environment that has fostered a staggering death toll, calling for new means of regulation. For example, the Junior Scholastic detected “Nearly 40,000 people from every state died from gun related injuries in 2017. The highest number of gun deaths in a year that the United States has experienced in five decades,” (Anastasia). The use of firearms is destroying the American population as a result of the numerous deaths and injuries gun violence has fostered in the United States. Firearms are generally used for the purpose of hunting and self-protection; however, America only needs to look at how firearms have been misused to see that firearms need to be further regulated. The use of firearms places a heavy burden on the lives of people in America because it increases deaths and injuries in the United States each year due to a lack of gun laws. According to the data recorded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “40,000 Americans who died of gun-related injuries in 2017 marked a 19% increase from 2012 and the highest annual total since the mid-1990s. The increase in gun deaths over five years included a 25% rise in murders involving a firearm,” (Anastasia). Such a blatant statistic gives the government no excuse to continue its current path of little gun reform. The weight of gun violence has a heavy impact on the lives of people of all ages and races in America. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated “There are more gun suicides than gun homicides in America. In 2016 22,983 people committed suicide by firearms, while 14,415 died in gun homicides,” (Matthews). The access of firearms in the United States forces a higher rate of gun suicides in America because people dealing with mental health issues are likely to obtain guns without going through a critical background check. The government needs to focus on enforcing universal background checks to further investigate the mental health of Americans who purchase handguns. The government needs to know for certain if citizens who acquire handguns are a threat to themselves or others before allowing citizens to purchase handguns. Gun violence is a “contagious disease” in our country because a bullet can destroy the bones and take away the lives of citizens in the United States. The percentage of gun deaths, suicides, and homicides is sickening to the human eye, because it shows the government has become inactive on enforcing gun regulations to protect citizens from firearms.

In the United States it is uncomplicated to purchase a firearm and open fire on public and private school grounds. Due to the lack of regulation children and teens are exposed to gun violence, exposing a greater issue that affects those who can’t defend themselves. For instance, Everytown for Gun Safety tracked “American children are exposed to gun violence at schools is just the tip of the iceberg every year, nearly 2,900 children and teens are shot and killed and 15,600 more are killed,”( “Gunfire on School Grounds”). It is very upsetting that innocent lives of children are dying due to gun violence, and the United States government cannot enforce any type of action to blockade or prevent these shootings before the shootings occur. The number of reports on school shootings are repugnant because every time the news reports a school shooting another one is occurring right in front of innocent children’s faces. Mass media’s coverage on a school shooting influences the next person with a firearm to repeat the same action in order to gain the same attention or publicity. School shootings are happening across America, every minute a child is buried by their parents who were under the pretense that school would always be a safe place for their children. The lack of restriction on who can purchase a firearm and carry rifles on school grounds, triggers a gateway for shooters to have an opportunity to harm others indicating a need for effective background checks. According to authorities at the University of North Carolina “A 22-year-old gunman opened fire on the final day at classes killing two people and wounding four others and three of them were critically injured,” (Wolfe and Walker). Ineffective background checks put guns in the wrong hands of people and causes a shooter to complete their motive and kill innocent children and teens on public and private school grounds. There is truly no safe place in America where you are protected from gun violence no matter where you go. Kids and teens are opened to the possibility that there days on Earth can be limited due to an unauthorized purchase of a gun. Furthermore, unproductive rulings on gun ownership in America and mistakes that are not detected through background checks augments the number of mass shootings in America. For instance, in Gun Violence in Miami Dade County investigators observed “There were more than twenty shootings since the first day of 2018.” The amount of mass shootings indicates that for not even for one day America cannot put their guns down and kill innocent lives. Most of the mass shootings in America traces back to a person who obtained a gun legally without having a gun permit. The government needs to close the gap on allowing people to unlawfully obtain firearms because universal background checks are significant in reducing the number of gun violence displayed in the United States. Lack of regulation on gun control and background checks that allow a bypass for citizens to illegally purchase guns produces a major uproar in the number of mass murders in the United States. For instance, reports tracked by a gun violence research group show “2019 had the highest number of mass shootings in any year,” (Silverstein). The uproar and growth of mass shootings in America indicates shootings in America are gaining more attention in the eyes of the public and are happening quicker than the United States can imagine. According to the documentary Gun Violence in Miami Dade County public records illustrate uncovered information on “A total of 500 contact shootings maximum starting from the beginning to the end of 2016”. Mass shootings are a major risk factor to citizens in America because one illegally obtained gun can cause blood being shed and bodies laid down on the streets of America. The government needs to open their eyes and realize that enforcing universal background checks will help efficiently reduce the amount of gun deaths in America because the sole purpose of the government was to protect the lives of all Americans.

Gun Violence is an epidemic that requires more than ineffective background checks but requires stricter gun regulations and more requirements of having possession of guns in order to reduce the gun deaths, suicides, and murders in the United States. The world is already a corrupt place, but the use of firearms forces a greater danger on the lives of citizens in America because with one firearm that gets into the hands of a dangerous person can lead to unexplainable gun violence. The government needs to act on gun laws before it is too late and more innocent lives are buried in America.