In the United States, gun violence is an untreated epidemic. Citizens are threatening to send their children to school because the epidemic has gotten so bad. The most recent target group has been children in schools across the country. Shopping malls and grocery stores are also popular shooting locations on a daily basis. These daily shooting incidents have escalated into a major social problem. Anti-gun control groups, on the other hand, believe that restricting guns violates their second amendment right to be armed and that strict gun control will not reduce crime or mass shootings. They also claim that even in the most restricted states, illegally purchased firearms are used in many crimes. However, both anti-gun control and pro-gun control groups agree on one restriction: people with a history of gun-related crime and those suffering from mental illnesses should not own firearms.
Mental illness, a lack of background checks, and easy access to assault weapons are the root causes of gun violence in the United States. The rising number of gun attacks is concerning, and we must act as a nation to address the underlying causes of gun violence. Each year in the United States. 30,000 people are killed by firearms, with approximately 19,000 homicides committed with their own hands, and 70,000 injured(Watkins). Besides. gun-related homicide incident increased dramatically from 2015 – 2017 and was the second cause of death and injury among youth and young adults (Kim) As a result. Children, families, and American society as a whole bearing significant costs, Furthermore, gun violence shortens the life expectancy of many American citizens. Mental illness or disorder is a significant factor in increasing gun violence. People with mental illness tend to be violent because they have difficulty controlling their emotions.
According to the study, patients with serious mental illnesses—schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder—were two to three times more likely to be assaultive than people who did not have such an illness. In absolute terms, the lifetime prevalence of violence was 16% among people with serious mental illness, compared to 7% among people without mental illness. Moreover, substance abuse among the mentally ill increases the risk of violence. The study involving 802 adults with a psychotic or major mood disorder found that violence was independently correlated with several risk factors, including substance abuse, a history of being a victim of violence, homelessness, and poor medical health. On the other hand, people with mental disorders or illnesses are stigmatized by society, which encourages them not to be sympathetic when they commit gun violence.
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According to Kim’s ecological studies analysis, distrust in mental health institutions and eroding citizen trust increased the number of mass shootings and gun-related homicides in communities. Furthermore, a lack of adequate access to health care has an impact on violence, particularly among people who have previously experienced psychological difficulties. Another factor contributing to the rise in gun violence is the lack of strict background checks when purchasing a firearm. During the election season, many politicians advocate for strict background checks to prevent people with mental illnesses, a history of violence, criminals, and terrorists from purchasing firearms. The United States Senate and Congress primarily raise funds from gun advocates for their election campaigns, which have prevented elected officials from enacting background check legislation.
When the former president visited the Dayton and El Paso shooting scenes, he said, “there was a great appetite for background checks.” However, nothing has changed in Washington in terms of strengthening background checks Among developed countries, the United States has the highest rate of firearm death (Watkins). The ongoing gun-related crime has a significant impact on society’s living conditions and financial crisis. To keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people, federal law must be vigorous and effective, protecting society. Even gun lobbyists claim that the country still has better-controlling mechanisms. However, most Americans suppon stronger and common-sense background check laws that reduce gun-related violence (Watkins) The current background check is insufficient to prevent the wrong person from purchasing a gun from a dealership due to a loophole that allows the dealer to transfer the gun to the purchaser without further scrutiny.
According to the Lovelace discussion topic, the lax gun control law that allows concealed carry endangers public safety. Because the gun lobby was successful in weakening state laws that govern the carrying of concealed firearms. Most states in the United States have removed law enforcement discretion from concealed gun permitting processes as a result of multiple efforts and financial influences. On another hand, the gun permit advocates stated that concealed carry laws allow a decrease in crimes due to helping permit holders fight off criminals. In general, in the United States, no law prevents the wrong person from purchasing from the dealership. As a result, the number of daily shootings increased from time to time across the country. The other factor that increased gun violence would be the presence of easily accessible semi-automatic guns legally and illegally in the market.
The purchase of guns increased from time to time for illegitimate reasons for instance in Los Angeles, a single person carried out a mass shooting using more than 48 semi—automatic guns. How did this gun purchase happen? Is the gun legally purchased from a licensed dealer? Most people purchased semi-automatic weapons without getting background checks and registering how many weapons they own. Military-style assault weapons, 50-caliber rifles, and large-capacity ammunition magazines are not prohibited under federal law. Despite overwhelming public support, Congress allowed the 1994 assault weapons and large capacity magazines ban to expire in 2004‘ As a result, assault rifles, 50 caliber rifles, and large capacity magazines have proliferated on the civilian market (Watkins), which creates huge opportunities for those who want to inflict harm in societies, so the government should work on controlling assault weapons from the market to protect innocent life. In conclusion, in the United States, there is a continuous increment of gun-related violence across all states.
Nowadays, the main factors that contribute to Violence are mental illness, the absence of strong background check laws, and the accessibility of assault weapons legally or illegally. There are multiple efforts to improve background Checks through legislation. Nevertheless, there are not any changes so far due to the influence of political climates. The other most important factor is the lack of mental health treatment across the country. Even if healthcare facilities are available. the cost of treatment is sky rocking. Therefore. nobody wants to visit such an expensive healthcare center unless the government improves insurance availability for everyone to get mental health treatment. The accessibility of semi-automatic also played a significant role in the increase of gun-related crimes. In the country, everybody agreed on the control of purchase by the wrong people from legal dealers. The presence of the above factors would affect our daily life and increase violence throughout the country. I wonder how long such gun violence will continue in the United States.
