Gun Crime Presentation
Gun Violence in the USA
In terms of Western liberal democracies, the United States of America has the clearest relationship between politics and violence. Violence is particularly prominent in the USA as it has the most relaxed laws surrounding the ownership of guns of any Western liberal democracy. These can be seen on the front line of US politics as it is one of the most commonly and fiercely debated topics in the country. The debate is largely split two ways. One side seeks to maintain the country’s lax laws regarding the purchase and ownership of guns. The strongest argument used by this side is through the second amendment (the “The Right to Bear Arms”)1 . This part of the constitution is used to portray the argument that Americans can partake in violent dissent to hold their government to account should they act tyrannically.
However, this is a flawed argument as the American government has far more firepower through its giant military. Gun crime in the USA is considerably more prominent as a cause of death then any other Western liberal democracy. This is inexplicably linked to the country’s politics as it is politicians who front the defence of gun-ownership. Furthermore, the links between politicians and lobby groups are clear to see. The relationship between the National Rifle Association and political figures is public knowledge and is often shown off as a method for gathering support. 2 They invest large amounts of money in the politicians that will support the right to bear arms. Both the NRA and many politicians see the firearms industry as key to economic stability and won’t fight against the lax gun-ownership laws on those grounds. It shows the clear issue in US politics of prioritizing economics over the lives of the country’s citizens.
The Accessibility of Guns in the USA
The underlying and obvious reason for why America has such a high rate of gun crime, for many different reasons is down to the accessibility of guns. The gun industry in America targets and exploits fear in people to make them feel they need a gun to protect themselves and their families against the high rates of crime in America. However, with this arises many accessibility issues that make it possible for dangerous weapons to fall into the hands of high-risk individuals.3
The bottom line is that America is no longer a frontier country and guns are not needed for hunting, disputes or defence anymore because there are modern processes that replace the need for this. Thus, making the need for access to guns skeptical. Historians argue that even the typical stereotype of the west with cow boys and shootouts is farfetched as in the infamous Dodge City in Kansas there was a law requiring people to hand in guns when entering the town areas, showing that the historical idea that a lot of gun advocates resonate with is not entirely true.4 The main argument propositioned by anti-gun control protestors is that accessibility to guns is needed for civilian safety, however what is evident looking at other countries is that there is no correlation between access to guns and safety because in the US in 2014 there was a 1 in 29,000 chance of being murdered with a gun whereas in the UK this chance is less than 1 in 1 million.5
It is evident that America has a strange relationship with firearms, believing that they are needed for protection. However, this is not the case as there are affluent countries around the world that have restricted access to firearms and are a lot safer because of this. There is deeper rooted reason for why Americans feel the need to access firearms, be it sense of freedom, historical legacy or just as a hobby. But it is clear that gun restrictions are needed to prevent deadly weapons falling into the wrong hands and endangering the lives of others, as we have seen in recent times mass shootings based on politics, racism and a host of other unjustifiable reasons are a regular occurrence often perpetuated by people who shouldn’t have access to guns but have slid through the system undetected.
The bottom line is that America is no longer a frontier country and guns are not needed for hunting, disputes or defence anymore because there are modern processes that replace the need for this. Thus, making the need for access to guns skeptical. Historians argue that even the typical stereotype of the west with cow boys and shootouts is farfetched as in the infamous Dodge City in Kansas there was a law requiring people to hand in guns when entering the town areas, showing that the historical idea that a lot of gun advocates resonate with is not entirely true. The main argument propositioned by anti-gun control protestors is that accessibility to guns is needed for civilian safety, however what is evident looking at other countries is that there is no correlation between access to guns and safety because in the US in 2014 there was a 1 in 29,000 chance of being murdered with a gun whereas in the UK this chance is less than 1 in 1 million.
Racism and Hate Crimes in relation to Gun Crime
Racism in America has been around since the beginning of the country. It is not a new concept that has been introduced because of Donald Trump, but it has recently become more popular as the leader in the most powerful country in the world has a leader who is an openly hateful person. Because of his hatred towards minorities hate crimes in America have spiked 226% since he took office, making the hate in Age of Donald Trump almost on par with racism during the Civil Rights Movement.6
Mass shooters who are targeting a certain group of people, often have had influences sparking their radical hate. For many mass shooters targeting a specific group, they have grown up learning these hateful ideas from someone else. A person who wants to target anyone who is a person of color, Jewish, or Islamic, most likely has been exposed to ideas of white supremacy and the white nationalist movements. Whose beliefs stem from the ideas that white is the superior race. For someone who targets the LGTBQ+ community, they may have grown up with the idea that homosexuality is wrong.7
These beliefs have caused some of the biggest tragedies in modern American history. The Pulse Nightclub shooting, which the perpetrator targeted people of the LGBTQ+ community, left fifty dead, and more than fifty wounded. Ever since the Omar Mateen was a young boy, he was exposed to homophobic ideas that lead to his hatred. Both Dylann Flood, the shooter behind the Charleston South Carolina shooting, which left nine African Americans dead at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. 8 And Robert Gregory Bowers, the perpetrator behind the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, which left eleven dead, had both been identified as being a white nationalist and have been exposed to the movement at a young age.9 With America having a leader who is openly racist and homophobic, and who also refuses to condemn white supremacists, the problem is just going to get worse until change is made.
School Shootings
A school shooting is something that evokes a chill down your spine every time you hear it on the news. A school is a place where children learn, grow, prosper and overall – should feel safe and secure. In countries such as the Scotland, most children would never dream of a shooter coming into their school and murdering their friends. For American kids, this is a harrowing reality and the risk of this is increasing every day that gun laws aren’t amended, and gun use isn’t restricted.
David Hogg, recalled his experience of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting where 17 people were murdered for a shooter. His words are chilling “There was a group energy that kept us strong. There was a melancholy calm.”. 10 Although their calmness and resisting the urge to panic may have possibly saved many lives, it is amazing that kids in America can see this as normal and become so desensitized to it that a life or death situation is made into something that isn’t that big of a deal. Instead of teaching all these children what to do in the case of a school shooter – why not tighten up gun control and restrict people from purchasing them so easily? Police officers in some states where gun crime is really bad are stationed in schools for most of the day, terrified of what could so easily happen.
How can the education authority in America expect kids to perform well and excel under the stress and constant anxiety that if they go to school one day – they may never return home to their parents. And the parents themselves, they’ve raised their babies from birth and poured everything they can into them. Imagine having to let your child go to school every day, fearing that it may be the last time you’ll ever kiss them goodbye. The majority of people carry so they can feel safe but if gun access was completely restricted, nobody would have to be worried. Until stricter reform comes into place, people will die unnecessarily and kids futures will be ruined by gun violence.
Bibliography and footnotes
1 Christopher Schmidt, ‘An International Human Right to Keep and Bear Arms’, William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal, 2019, 15, 983-1020, p. 984 2
2 Matthew Moore and CariAnn Bergner, ‘The Relationship between Firearm Ownership and Violent Crime’, Justice Policy Journal, 13, 1-20, p. 6
3 Gabor, Thomas, Confronting Gun Violence In America, 1st edn (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)
4 Squires, Peter, Title: Gun Culture Or Gun Control? : Firearms And Violence: Safety And Society, 1st edn (London: Routledge, 2002)
5 Thomas Gabor, Confronting Gun Violence In America, 1st edn (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).
6 PBS, Race And Racism In The Age Of Trump, 2017
7 2 Davis, Jonita. Guns, discrimination and racism [online]. Guardian (Sydney), No. 1815, 21 Mar 2018: 8. Availability: <https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=460786137250748;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 1325-295X. [cited 10 Apr 20].
8 Keenan, Kevin, and Anthony Greene, “Whiteness Or Resilience? Placing Terror By Studying The Charleston, South Carolina Mother Emanuel Church Shooting”, Urban Geography, 40 (2018), 104-127 <https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2018.1500247>
9 4 Tobias, Adam, Ronald Roth, Leonard Weiss, Keith Murray, and Donald Yealy, “Tree Of Life Synagogue Shooting In Pittsburgh: Preparedness, Prehospital Care, And Lessons Learned”, Westjem 21.2 March Issue, 21 (2020), 374-381 <https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2019.11.42809>
10 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43140105
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