A shot heard in the distance. People shouting, but their panicked voices get overwhelmed with the sirens of ambulances and police cars. Screams sounded from everywhere and soon, news channels have let the whole world know about the catastrophe that occurred seconds ago. This happens almost every day in many cities. More and more of those who carry guns have decided to let everything loose and at the end, many people get lost as well. As a result of weak gun control, mass violence has become an all-too-common occurrence in the United States. Even though the news has constantly told stories elaborating on mass violence, some people still assume that no harm exists in carrying a gun. Research states that although guns do not only cause mass violence,
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According to author Frank Zimring, no matter the scenario and the instruments placed around, someone who wants to cause harm to others will find a “weapon to achieve his destructive goal” (page 721). This means that rather than stopping the purchase of guns, extra background checks should make sure the people purchasing guns can handle them properly. Though a hard problem to deal with, violence can slowly get fixed and violence rates can decrease if the hard laws put in place make it impossible for people to get away with any type of mass murder. In January 17, 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy pointed a powerful assault rifle to a crowded playground in Stockton, California, killing five children and wounding 29 others. The background check following the murder, revealed that Patrick had a history of relatively minor brushes with the law. Though this seems to not have any importance, it might prevail as the reason Patrick went over the edge and he was able to actually hurt people because he possessed a weapon. If the background check happened prior to him purchasing a gun, a crisis would have never occurred in Stockton. Stronger gun control needs to transpire in order to make sure the right people purchase guns and also for the right reasons. In April 20, 1999, “teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold shot up Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They killed 13 people and wounded 21 others” (Shen). Although this crisis occurred over 16 years ago, it still holds the mystery as to how these two boys obtained a gun. Whether a handheld pistol or military style rifle, a gun remains as a gun and it has the power to kill many people. Eric and Dylan must have realized their mistake because after the massacre, they killed themselves, meaning 15 people got lost that day. None of this would have occurred if there were stronger gun control laws put in place.
According to author Frank Zimring, no matter the scenario and the instruments placed around, someone who wants to cause harm to others will find a “weapon to achieve his destructive goal” (page 721). This means that rather than stopping the purchase of guns, extra background checks should make sure the people purchasing guns can handle them properly. Though a hard problem to deal with, violence can slowly get fixed and violence rates can decrease if the hard laws put in place make it impossible for people to get away with any type of mass murder. In January 17, 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy pointed a powerful assault rifle to a crowded playground in Stockton, California, killing five children and wounding 29 others. The background check following the murder, revealed that Patrick had a history of relatively minor brushes with the law. Though this seems to not have any importance, it might prevail as the reason Patrick went over the edge and he was able to actually hurt people because he possessed a weapon. If the background check happened prior to him purchasing a gun, a crisis would have never occurred in Stockton. Stronger gun control needs to transpire in order to make sure the right people purchase guns and also for the right reasons. In April 20, 1999, “teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold shot up Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They killed 13 people and wounded 21 others” (Shen). Although this crisis occurred over 16 years ago, it still holds the mystery as to how these two boys obtained a gun. Whether a handheld pistol or military style rifle, a gun remains as a gun and it has the power to kill many people. Eric and Dylan must have realized their mistake because after the massacre, they killed themselves, meaning 15 people got lost that day. None of this would have occurred if there were stronger gun control laws put in place.