Juvenile Gun Violence
Juvenile gun violence is an ever-increasing problem in our country. With a wave of school shooting behind us it is time to get this under control. Many studies have been done on how to effectively diminish juvenile gun violence. It is clear that this must be handled on a state and local level with the federal government backing the states. Prevention and law enforcement is the key to successfully eradicate our nation of the ugly stain caused by youth gun violence.
Prevention should begin in the home. Studies show that "gun ownership by adults and the introduction of their children into recreational gun culture appears to reduce problems associated with teenage violence" (Bilchik 11). If a child has grown up around guns and is taught from an early age the proper usage and safety, they are less likely to use it in an inappropriate manner. Legal gun owners usually learn about guns at home, while the illegal owners learn on the street.
Many juveniles claim that they carry a gun for protection. They feel that they need protection on the way to and from school, which makes schools a prime setting for violence. According to Welsh, "Thirty-seven percent of all violent crimes experienced by youths aged twelve to fifteen occurred on school grounds" (Welsh 185). An astonishing thirty percent of students surveyed said they had been victims of assault while en route to or in school.
Juveniles resort to violence, usually involving guns, instead of communicating with each other. "Although guns are more available today, youth also now show an increasing tendency to use them to settle disputes. When youth who are already predisposed to violence have easy access to guns, they may be more likely to beco...
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...lt for criminals to acquire guns but not infringe on the law-abiding citizen. The laws we have should be enforced and more juveniles should be prosecuted in order to make it a risk to possess a firearm. A combination of prevention and law enforcement strategies must be enacted in order to resolve this problem within our country.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Bilchik, Shay. "Reducing Youth Gun Violence: An Overview of Progress and Initiatives. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. 09 October 2001. .
Connors, Jason. "NRA Gun Safety Rules." NRA 05 April 2001. 09 October 2001. .
Giller, Henri, Ann Hagell, and Michael Rutter. Antisocial Behavior By Young People. New York: Cambridge UP, 1998.
Welsh, Wayne N. "United States." Teen Violence: A Global View. Eds. Allan M. Hoffman and Randal W. Summers. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 2001.
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 ...
Violence related to guns is a prominent issue in America. Guns are a means to an end; meaning guns have played a strong role in suicides, murders, and injuries. In the past decade there has been an average of 400-500 thousand incidents of firearms per year (Gun Violence). The number of injured people from firearm incidents in the United States per year for the past decade is 400-600 thousand people (Gun Violence). These statistics are absolutely shocking to anyone. The amount of violence and crime that comes from guns is enormous. It is imperative that proper gun control is put into place by means of background checks and proper training. It can almost be certain that the number of incidents of accidental discharges from children and the number of victims affected by gun crimes in general can be highly reduced.
There are many crimes committed by teenagers every year. Crimes that are committed by teens each year are mainly assault, bullying, gang violence, and physical fights. According to National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, about 1 and 9 murders are from kids that are under 18 (Center, 2001). In 1998, there were approximately 2,570 among youth aged 10-19. Every day there are at least 7 children murdered in the United States (Center, 2001). Statistics say that between 16%-32% female teenagers have committed a crime before the age of 17. Also 30%-40% male teenagers have committed a violent crime before they turned 17 (Center, 2001). Teenagers that commit crimes are the ones who were abused or bullied as a...
Through two decades ago and in recent years gun violence has increased significantly in the various parts of the United States. There are more cases of children and young adults, engaging in violence. Gun violence leads to the death of many civilians annually. Gun violence touches every segment of our society. It increases the probability of deaths in incidents of domestic violence, raises the likelihood of fatalities by those who intend to injure others and among those who attempt to commit crimes. put children and young people at special risk, and disproportionately affect communities of color. Gun violence harmed all the society and it was a nightmare which produced a culture soaked in blood.
As recent events and studies show, there is an obvious problem in this country with juvenile crime and the increasing number of these crimes that involve the use of firearms, but t say that guns are the problem is a failure to look at the big picture. Actors within the political community...
Gun violence, have the tendency for youths to experience hardships of violence by other youths. Continuous studied on firearm show the increase of death that’s occurring with children in the U.S., ranging from ages 0-20 needs to be rectify (Children Defense Fund). In 2007, more recent studies by Children’s Defense Fund provided more statistical information on children and young adults of all races, who are subjected to gun violence, has triple since 2007. These finding suggest that vulnerable children are dying from the lack of gun control. Adolescence is a time for continue growth development, which many of the risk factors involving teenage violence is becoming more prevalent with children of all ages. More children and young adults are killed by firearms than from all other death related issues combine (Irwin, Berg & Cart, 2002). In other words, the numbers of violence inflicted upon children are generated by oth...
The shootings that have happened in the schools throughout the Unites States over the past few months have created a great divide among Americans on what we should do as a nation to prevent further shootings from happening. Many people believe that imposing new laws on purchasing weapons by requiring background checks, holding adults responsible for the actions of their children and requiring gun locks on weapons to prevent children will stop these massacres in our school from happening. There are many issues that need to be looked at in order to decide which laws are necessary.
Anderson, E. (1998). The social ecology of youth violence. Crime and Justice, 24(Youth Violence), 65-104. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1147583
In my opinion, when it comes to juveniles and guns, it starts in the home. Children need the proper care and up bringing so that they do not become involved with gangs or guns. 3.) In an article regarding how to end youth gun violence, Elaine Cox suggests that, “One strategy may lie in patterns of recreation reminiscent of the “Afterschool Special” days. Youth violence follows some very predictable patterns. The prime time for youth violence tends to be between 3 and 8 p.m., rarely after midnight. In these post-school hours, there is significant idle time to be filled with solitary activities, such as video gaming or high-risk activities like drug use, gang membership, sexual activity and violence.” If the future of our youth is going to improve, I think its critical that we have programs set in place so that youths do not have so much down time to commit delinquent behavior. The future remains unclear on what will be done about guns in American but one thing is certain we can not continue to lose youths to gun
Pirruzia, T (2011).Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Literature Reviews. (n.d.). Chapter 1: Biosocial Theory. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/roots/volume5/chapter01_biosocial_theory.aspx
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.
One important factor to look at with school shootings is where the shooter gets his weapon from. According to an article of school shootings and their relationships to gun violence, “Among shootings at K-12 Schools in which the shooter’s age was known, 70 percent (14 of 20 incidents) were perpetrated by minors” (54). This is a shocking fact because in the United States an individual must be 18 years old or older to purchase a firearm. This would mean that the minors illegally obtained their weapons from a source such as their own homes. “In the eight incidents where the source of the gun was known, three-quarters of the shooters used a gun they obtained from home” (54). This is one of the reasons why school shootings are a key topic in the gun control debate. It causes the public to form divided opinions over the subject of gun control. Many people believe that in order to prevent more of these shootings from happening we must take extreme measures to
"Children, Youth, and Gun Violence: Analysis." Princeton. The Future of Children, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. .
Children and teens have had lasting effects from gun violence. Thousands die every day from suicide, gang violence, and drive by shootings and accidental shootings. This problem can be solved by educating kids on gun violence, educating youth about positive behaviors and self-esteem, and parents/guardians could avoid associating with violent people, like those known to have affiliations with gangs or those known to have a criminal background.
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.