An argument can be made that a good guy with a gun can stop the bad one, but that's not always the case. In an article authored by Evan DeFilippis and Devin Hughes, they exhibited an independent study by the National Gun Victims Action Council. The researchers placed 77 people who had different level of training in firearms into three self-defense situations. In one situation seven of the people shot an innocent bystander. In the first and second situation a good percentage of the participants died while trying to engage the “bad guy”. In the third situation 23% of the people shot at someone who did posed no threat to them. Out of the hundreds of mass shootings in the past 30 years only one has been stopped by and armed civilian. Many innocent
In the editorial from the Bloomberg View called “The Rare Good Guy with a Gun” by David Shipley, he acknowledges that yes, indeed, a good person with a gun can surely stop an evil person of convicting a crime. He wrote about a specific event that occurred
Public mass shootings have increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades and have become a growing concern for the people of the United States. It has appeared that approximately every few months, media outlets report incidences of tragedy involving a sole gunman targeting groups of people with the intent to harm or extinguish life due to various motives. Recent research data indicated that over 80 public mass shootings have occurred in the United States since 1983. Some of the more recent shootings to date are: Marysville-Pilchick High in October 2014; Santa Barbara, California in May 2014; Fort Hood, Texas U.S. Army base in April 2014; Washington Navy Yard in September 2013; Sandy Hook Elementary, Connecticut in December 2012;
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
As us Americans we are actually making the stereotype of we always carry guns around sound true to the rest of the world considering that, we are the “31% percent of all public mass shootings which at least four people are killed.” (TheWeek.com) But under a broader definition USA counted 346 mass shootings including shooting deaths of four or more victims in a 17- year period. The worst part about this information is this year we already have recorded 249 mass shootings in about 7 months close to the same amount USA counted over 17 years! This is a problem that must be solve for the safety in this country but also prevent more mass shooting from happening. “According to a Mother Jones study: Only 23 percent have been treated for mental illness.” ( Gallagher )
...t is our job, as citizens, to at least be prepared for the criminals’ attack and to be able to defend ourselves in time of need. At the Virginia Tech shooting, the responding police officers took approximately three minutes to reach the school, but about five minutes to break through the chains binding the doors together. Cho fired rounds off for about nine minutes. Out of those nine minutes only four, or less, could have happened, if a professor or other college personnel stopped the aggressive action before the tragedy was completed. Police cannot get there fast enough sometimes to save a life; citizens must be prepared for the worst. One thing is for sure, one would rather have it and doesn’t need it, than need it and doesn’t have it. People often ask themselves, “Why should I have a gun?” Well guns are needed when seconds count, and the police are minutes away.
Despite Norway’s strict requirements in order to own a gun, they couldn’t prevent a mass shooting that took the lives of 77 people in 2011 (Masters). One thing you don’t hear very often from the leaders of our country, is the idea that more guns could prevent shootings. In the United States, we have “gun free zones,” which include schools and other public places. In these areas, guns are strictly prohibited, and instead of preventing shootings have actually became a target for them.Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), “found that 92 percent of mass shootings since 2009 have taken place in designated gun-free zones” (Blackwell). The author of “Ban gun-free zones,” Ken Blackwell claims that those who commit mass shootings want the publicity, and will go where they know they can do the most damage, because the more serious the shooting is, the more publicity it will receive. Blackwell goes on to say, “most mass shootings don’t end until the police arrive. Killers typically have several minutes to slaughter as many victims as they can without fear of interference” (Blackwell). John Lott, the author of “A Look at the Facts on Gun-Free Zones,” backs up Blackwell’s claims of mass shooters targeting places where guns are prohibited. Lott uses evidence from mass shooters themselves as his evidence, and one very recent tragedy is the shooting in a Charleston, South Carolina church, in June 2015. According to the Crime Research Prevention Center, cited by Lott in his article, the shooter told those around him about his plans to carry out the shooting. His original plan was to go to the College of Charleston, but apparently veered away from the college when he realized that there was heavily armed security, obviously settling for the Church. Another example is James Holmes, who committed a mass shooting in a movie theatre. Holmes had what Lott referred to as a
Mass shootings have become a common occurrence in the United States society and have brought our society's safety debate to the attention of American politics. Both sides of the debate agree that we need more safety precautions but neither side can officially agree on what is to be done. What can we do about the raging number of mass shootings? There is no definite solution for mass shootings but there are precautions the United States can take to try to overcome the overwhelming number of mass shootings occurring. Gun Control is a major topic in the debate of how we can keep our society safer but how is what remains a mystery but we can start with altering the second amendment, and having stronger gun laws and background checks.
Sandy Hook, Colorado Movie Theater, Columbine, and Virginia Tech all have one thing in common they known as mass shootings. Mass shootings are defined as the study of having four or more victims and do not include gang killings or slayings that involve the death of multiple family members. In Jen Christensen’s article, “Why the U.S has the most mass shootings” published by CNN, she discusses a recent shooting and ties it into mass shootings. Jen Christensen is a producer/editor with CNN’s Health, Medical and Wellness Unit. She has also earned the highest awards in broadcasting; Peabody and DuPont are some, as a producer. Prior to CNN, she was an award winning investigate producer with WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C. She has launched and managed an award-winning
Nine students were killed at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. A man opened fire in a church, in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people, including the pastor. Twenty-seven were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Twelve were killed in the Washington Navy Yard. This is only a few examples from a very long list. The grim truth is that mass shootings are becoming the new normal. Every few months, another mass shooting occurs and the public goes through the same routine of mourning, honoring, and ultimately debating. What causes these manic episodes of multiple, indiscriminate gun deaths? Some push for more gun control, others argue that the U.S. mental health system is a failure. Controversy aside, mass shootings are on the rise, and it is imperative that the factors leading to these outbursts are accurately identified and appropriately addressed.
“10 Ways to Put Brakes on Mass Shootings in Schools” by Nicole Saidi is an article that discusses ten ways to reduce mass shootings without necessarily discussing how effective gun control laws are. She does, however, mention the need for an increase of firearm regulations, but her main focus is on other proposals that do not get brought up as much. For example, Saidi suggests the media to pull away from reporting on violent events. She believes that exploring the reasonings behind the motives of these mass shooters may provide a solution to prevent them.
Most people will say that if we had more gun control laws that the orlando shooting would not happen but gun control would not have stopped them from shooting. There has also been many shootings stopped by civilians with a concealed carrying permit, for example in 2016 an uber driver (name unknown) in Chicago with a registered pistol in his car shot and wounded a gunman that was about open up fire on a crowd of people and saved everyone there. Another case involving saving people from tragedies, is one that happened in Atlanta, Fl where four men walked into a party with assault rifles in their hand and held the place down and was planning on raping one of the women at the party. When Barner was at this party he had his pistol in his backpack for self defence because he was a retired marie, and he pulled his gun our and shot all four of the men one of then about to rape a
John Lott once said, ”Some people use guns for horrible things, but some people use guns to prevent horrible things from happening”(Interview with John R. Lott Jr.,4). It is legal to use guns to prevent great bodily injury or death. The second amendment allows the individual to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation (Right-to-Carry, 1). The definition of resist is to, “withstand, strive against, or oppose.” Healthy American citizens have the right to do just that when it comes to any crime that can potentially cause them great bodily harm, or has the potential to kill them. Criminologist Gary Kleck concluded,” robbery and assault victims who used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or suffer an injury than those who did not use a gun or any other method to resist, or those who did not resist at all”(Right-to-Carry,1). Concealed handgun laws lower violent crimes for two reasons. First, criminals are afraid of potential victims that can defend themselves. Second, victims with guns are capable of protecting themselves (Interview with John R. Lott Jr., 1). Criminals who face higher penalties, like a gunshot wound, tend to not commit crimes. For every year a concealed weapon law is effective, murder r...
With the media shining so much light upon this topic, it is evident that mass murders in the United States of America are more frequent and deadly. In fact, studies have found that the USA has more mass public shootings than any other country (Christensen). These numbers have only been increasing in the past decades. This is shocking because the USA holds only 5 percent of the world’s population, but as a nation, contributes to 31 percent of mass murders (Christensen). Although these murders continue to be a rare phenomenon, weak gun laws, the need for fame, and issues with societal views are the main causes of the increase in cases.
“Their best defense against injury is to put no defense and give them what they want” (Kates). Critics may argue that concealed handguns are not an effective form of self defense. To the contrary, robbery and assault victims who used a gun were less likely to be attacked or suffer injury, “Neither a martial art skills nor chemical sprays provide a real option for victims faced by attackers who are stronger or armed” (Kates). People feel safer when they carry a concealed weapon because they feel that criminals will avoid attacking them. Citizens want to conceal carry a handgun because every day there are dangerous individuals who prey on the weak. In addition to that, concealed handguns are an effective non-lethal form of self defense a majority of the time. Gary Kleck from the Federal Bureau of Investigation “estimated that, 2 million to 2.5 million victims annually use handguns to repel criminal attackers” (Kates). The surprise of being armed is the advantage for the victim, which the victim has the disadvantage of knowing the time and place of being attacked. Concealed carry actually provides protection to citizens that do not carry because the criminals are not sure who is able to defend themsel...
The United States is one of the only countries with the continuing problem of mass murder. 58 people lost their lives and more than 50 were injured when a man opened fire at an outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas on October 1st, 2017 (Hanley 6). This is one of countless massacres that have occurred in the United States. It is no surprise when one turns the TV on in the morning and a “News Flash” story pops up on the latest shooting. Gregory Kate of USA Today states that there has been greater than 200 events of mass murder in the past 10 years. It is no secret that guns are an easily accessible weapon in the United States, and in numerous other countries that is not the case. Most people can obtain a firearm with a simple, online background check on a computer. Within minutes the check is completed. Kate states the only people to be declined would be: "felons, fugitives, drug addicts, the mentally ill, illegal immigrants, some legal immigrants, people