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Adolescent gun violence
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Gun violence in youth has become much more prevalent. Today’s youth are more likely to turn to guns to solve their problems with bullies or to help them to fight a mental illness. Kids are taking guns from their parents or are just going to the streets and buying the guns from random people. Although there are jurisdictions that have started to use gun violence programs to help combat these issues the programs are not found everywhere and are not going to work forever. One such program that we will learn about later on is Operation Ceasefire.
What is gun violence? Gun Violence is any crime that has been committed with the use of a gun. What are some of the causes of gun violence? Gun violence in youth can be attributed to many different influences. According to an NBC News study “7,000 children are injured severely enough by gun violence to be sent to the hospital and 3,000 children are injured so badly that they do not even make it to the hospital. This means that every year about 10,000 children are involved in gun related violence each year.” (Carroll, 2014) What this means is that youth gun violence is way too high. Although in the U.S. we are not able to purchase a gun until we are 18 somehow we are seeing kids under the age of 18 getting their hands on guns and shooting and killing their siblings or parents or fellow students at their school.
The influences that are most common in youth that result in using a gun to commit a crime are mental instability, and bullying. Bullying has become a very hot topic recently because we have seen so many people result to going to school with a gun to try to scare the person that is bullying them or we have heard of suicides by these same kids. Bullying can also cause some other issues ...
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...P., Vorrasi, J. A. (2002). Effects of Gun Violence on Children and Youth. Journal Issue: Children, Youth, and Gun Violence, 12(2). Retrieved from http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=42&articleid=166§ionid=1068
Lane, TR. (2012, April 7). Bullying and School shootings. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/bullying-and-school-shootings Leahy, Maureen. (2013) American Academy of Orthapaedic Surgeons. Taking Aim at Youth Gun Violence. Retrieved from http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/feb13/cover2.asp
National Institute of Justice. (n.d.). Operation Ceasefire (Boston, Mass.) Retrieved from http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=207
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/post-traumatic%20stress%20disorder
Watkins, Christine. "Gun Crimes Cause Serious Harm to Children." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cenage, 20 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
It may not always be in the home but street children are used to traffic guns from communities to other neighborhoods. Subliminal messages are being portrayed in the media which conditions their views of having guns as a necessity for protecting oneself which is the rational often given behind why one is needed. Common movies like Walker Texas Ranger or even Criminal Minds among other detective shows, or even the American Dad cartoon that I often hear children talking about send messages that using a gun is a quick and easy mean to take control of a situation. From a tender age colorful water guns are given as toys to boys in Jamaica How funny that when many children grow up to become killers or robbers we wonder where they could possible get the idea of shooting or robbing someone at gun point. In Jamaica there are many reprisal killing where people are being killed in daylight with children being witnesses or they themselves involved. Turning a family rifle on classmates or self to stanch internal or external conflict is a new found
Gun Violence Opposing View Points. Ed. James D. Torr. Greenhaven Presss.Inc., San Diego, California: Daniel Leone, 2002, Print
Imagine being able to get your hands on a gun in your community with ease when you were younger. Sounds cool right? Well, to some it might and that’s how young children are living in our communities now-a-days. Kids are able to get guns as long as they have parents with guns or the money to buy one. There aren’t enough restrictions on guns & who can get a hold of them on the streets and parents aren’t doing a well enough job of hiding their guns from their children. Something needs to be done. Too many children and young adults are being injured and murdered by something that is supposed to protect them. The ease in which youths are able to possess guns needs to be stopped. The harder it is for kids to get guns, the safer they’ll be.
Some of the deaths that were caused by gun violence was dealt to small children.Having a firearm in your home can cause a great risk if you have a child in your home because a firearm can be accessed by a child.In many situation the child is playing with firearm without adult supervision and end up either wounding themselves or end up dead. According to CNN “Guns kill Nearly 1,300 US children each year.”Also when a firearm is easily accessible a child will often grab a hold of it and it could be a possibility that they can take it to school there were some cases where a kid took a firearm to school and opened
Although no one can be entirely sure what motivates teens to commit mass shootings, there are theories that must be examined to develop solutions. One theory states that there are ten factors that contribute to the likelihood of a teen committing murder. These factors include an unstable home life, being bullied at school, obsession with violent entertainment, being suicidal, involvement with drugs or alcohol, involvement with gangs or cults, and mental illness. Usually at least four of these qualities are present in homicidal teens (Khadaroo). While many of these causes stem from home lif...
Juvenile violence can be stopped through proper routes. "Juvenile violence is not a result of kids ' access to guns, but stems from the failure of our culture to give kids a sense of individual responsibility and respect for human life." (Public Perspectives) Parents now are disregarding the punishment side of raising a child. Without that discipline in their life, they tend to veer off the path to one that might not end up the best. From learning the basics of gun education, a child knows what to do around a gun, how to respect it, and how to not accidentally shoot anyone. “Gun advocates generally believe that youth gun violence is a problem rooted in culture, not in access to guns.” (Public Perspectives) When children grow up with the knowledge of how to
Rostron, Allen, and Brian Siebel. "No Gun Left Behind: The Gun Lobby's Campaign to Push Guns into Colleges and Schools." Www.bradycampaign.org. N.p.: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2007. 9-11. Rpt. in Juvenile Crime. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
...dolescents to weapons. In many cases children have access to a weapon, particularly a handgun, within their own home. With lack of supervision, children experiment with these dangerous weapons, and may even take them out of their homes. Another contributing factor to violent acts among children is the role of the media and the way that television and movies portray violence. Every where you turn on television and in movies, you see someone killing someone or someone getting killed. Kids see the brutal ways, or the quick and smart schemes of combat tactics. They falsely believe that these types of behaviors are acceptable, because the next week they are back on the show demonstrating another episode of violent acts, with no consequences.
Violence is defined as the intentional use of force to harm a human being. Its outcome is injury (whether physical or psychological, fatal or nonfatal). Violence among teenagers is on the rise, and has been since the early 1980's. In my opinion this is due to the increase of violence in the media, the astounding availability of firearms and the lack of proper guidance in the home. Northeastern University's College of Criminal Justice reports that from 1985 to 1993 murders committed by people over the age of 25 dropped an impressive 20%; meanwhile they increased 65% for people between the ages of 18-24 and an astounding 165% growth for teenagers 14 to 17. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in 1996, 6548 young people 15-24 years old were victims of homicides. This amounts to an average of 18 youth homicides per day in the US. It also states that homicide is the second leading cause of death for persons 15-24 and is the leading cause of death for African-American and Hispanic youths in this age group. There are a few things that we as Americans can do to stunt this problem, and it starts with the home. By focusing on the home first, we as Americans can drastically reduce the amount of violent crime committed in the US.
Through the year’s shootings have increased by a significant amount. Individuals are becoming affected on a regular basis and are concerned about there safety. Parents are worried for there youth getting assaulted, sexually violence, tormented, kidnaped, murdered on the other hand, now there ending up to be more stressed for there child getting shot. Guns have been around for hundredths of years, both world wars were succeeded with guns, hence, guns were served to defend its nation through history. In Western society citizens purchase guns for self preservation. Unfortunately, they are utilized in opposing ways, the majority of crimes are involved in gun shootings; this is an essential issue in America. Most agree that gun violence will have
Unsecured guns have turned thousands of toddlers into killers and much more into victims. “Children younger than three have gotten a hold of guns and shot someone at least 59 times in 2015”; a trend first reported by Christopher Ingraham add the Washington Post in October. A solution to this would be proper gun storage; adults owning a gun must be more aware of the fact of toddlers or children being at the risk of obtaining weapons and causing mischief. They should place their firearm in a safe place where a child cannot reach it or find the way to create themselves or anyone else an injury or further tragedy including unwanted accidents. For example “Caroline Starks was two years old. Her 5-year-old brother was playing nearby with his birthday present: a .22-caliber Crickett rifle. His mother stepped outside for a moment; confident the gun had no bullets, therefore, wasn’t loaded. She was wrong. Caroline was pronounced dead a few hours later at the Cumberland County Hospital in Kentucky”.The action of misusing guns can affect children mentally and physically; “youth can also be influenced to take or make the wrong decision. Some kids may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can affect brain development. The psychological trauma of gun violence may lead some children to arm themselves "for protection," or desensitize them so that they feel less hesitation
Guns and violence have some long lasting effects on not only the crime rate, but the rights that people have to own guns themselves. Even though the violence is a factor in why many believe that guns should be banned, guns should be allowed and not banned because they should be allowed because of the laws and the rights of citizens allow them there rights. The ethics and laws that occur with the current and enduring debates are another meaningful point. As Supreme Court Cases rage on about how a cities ban on handguns could break amendments, this is how the topic has gained from it (Hoxie 474). As crime statistics begin to rise there are many reasons that they need to work on the juvenile justice system (Collier 478). The other topic of the age could become a factor is another point that many think needs to be changed, as a 13 year old child could commit murder, they would not be sentenced as severely as an adult (Cohen 481). The ethic and laws play a huge effect on guns and violence because of the effects it has on crime, and the citizens themselves play a huge role on the society that they live in.
The most terrifying factor is that the mental stability of someone can change without warning or worsen over time unnoticed. A majority of these are undetectable and can be caused by numerous variables. “There is no single cause for mental health disorders; instead, they can be caused by a mixture of biological, psychological and environmental factors”(Mental Health Problem Symptoms, Causes and Effects) However out of all the listed factors the most influential is believed to be environmental due to the fact that areas that have the most gun violence share similar conditions and criminal activity, “Within cities, both violent crime and gun homicide by youths are concentrated in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty, drug dealing, and/or gang activity.” (Tita, George) Growing up in conditions like these tend to develop a violent mentality in young adults, and without a doubt influence most to commit crimes and partake in illegal actions. Being a topic of interest the NGIC began a research on gang activities in 2011 and discovered that gun violence is centered towards criminal activities rather improper use of guns or school
Statistics on the National Safe Kids Campaign Website reveals that “Americans possess nearly 200 million firearms, including 65 million handguns. Approximately one-third of families with children (representing more than 22 million children in 11 million homes) keep at least one gun in the home. Gun owners keep firearms in the home for hunting and recreation (60 percent) or for protection and crime prevention (40 percent)”. Although 40 percent seems to be on the minority, households with guns are at higher risk of homicide, and there are few beneficial effects of gun ownership; as a result, alternative methods for crime prevention and protection should be adopted.