Mass Killings In America Essay

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Mass Killings in America
The television comes on everyone puts their hand to their mouth in shock. Another mass killing has happened. As a nation we feel this is happening more than it used to, but how much is it really happening? The images of Newtown, Aurora and Virginia Tech are burned into the minds of Americans. Since 2006, there has been more than 200 mass killings in America (Overburg). Newtown, Aurora and Virginia Tech capture the nations attention, but similar bloody scenes happen with alarming frequency and much less scrutiny (Overburg). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) qualify a mass killing as the death of four people or more. With gun control and mental illness becoming a large topic due to these mass killings USA Today set out to find out who commits these killings, the weapons they use and the forces that motivates them. USA Today examined FBI and local police data and found that mass killings in America happen far more often than the government reports. Also the circumstances surrounding the killings are far more particular than most people think.
Mass killings happen about every two weeks. Mass killings are only 1% of murders in America, but are still happening much too frequently. The FBI said that there was 172 mass killings from 2006 to 2011 (Overburg). Those numbers do not include large states such as Florida, for example. The FBI’s reports on mass killings have shown to be not as accurate as USA Today found. The number of 172 does not include all mass killings and also includes killings that do not meet the requirement of mass killing. A timeline of mass killing provided by USA Today show that from 2006 to 2013 there has been a steady amount of mass killings. There has already been 4 mass killings ...

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...eople inside before running out and killing one woman nearby. After a police chase, Stawicki shot himself (“We could see this coming”). If Stawicki had gotten help before he would have been better off and maybe this shooting could have been avoided. Many examples show that the government could put in safety nets and could avoid many of these killings.
Mass killings are an epidemic in America. With many laws coming about to protect Americans from mass killings it is important to know all the facts. It is a good thing that USA Today has created this database. When correct information is shared with the public it will help people to make better decisions when voting and making choices. Since mass killings happen about every two week, it is going to affect everyone. Mass killings are not unavoidable, but knowing the facts can help to alleviate some of the killings.

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