Three hundred eighty-five is the number of people killed in a mass shooting in 2016 according to the Gun Violence Archive which reflects the number of incidents reported and verified. Seven in a college town, five in an airport, and 49 in a nightclub the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. While the death tolls, places and memorial photos change there is one common characteristic; the weapon chosen.
Though to be clear it is difficult to define what is considered a mass shooting and the numbers may reflect this gray area. For example, on February, 25 2016 a gunman shot and killed three people and injured 14 more in Hesston, KS this is the 33rd mass shooting of 2016 or is it actually just the 2nd? According to the shooting tracker by Mother …show more content…
each year, but get the most attention in the media. Journalism can be a powerful force for change, and news organizations should not flinch at reporting on mass shootings. But what the Daily News editors didn't realize was that this sensational approach can possibly do more than perturb or offend. Such images provide the notoriety mass killers crave and can even be a jolt of inspiration for the next shooter. Since the 1980s, forensic investigators have found examples of mass killers emulating their most famous predecessors. Now, there is growing evidence that the copycat problem is far more serious than is generally understood. Ever since the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been studying what motivates people to carry out these crimes. As part of our investigation into threat assessment, Mother Jones documented the chilling scope of the "Columbine effect": We found at least 74 plots and attacks across 30 states in which suspects and perpetrators claimed to have been inspired by the nation's worst high school massacre. Their goals ranged from attacking on the anniversary of Columbine to outdoing the original body count. STOP IDEALIZING MASS …show more content…
The only reason this happened was because an employee at the first store stated that Jared looked uneasy and anxious, he refused to sell him any ammunition forcing Jared to go to another store. In this situation there are so many what ifs, what if the employee called the police, what if Jared’s licenses was flagged, and what if that could have prevented the tragic shooting. There are various arguments to this proposal, one being it can become a slippery slope of how far the government will go once they have access to flag your license leading many to oppose this idea. Others state that someone who is determined enough to cause chaos will simply stock pile ammunition for weeks and months, making the law ineffective in stopping mass shootings. California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and sadly these laws haven’t prevented seven mass shootings using legally purchased guns since 2006. After the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook, support for controls on gun ownership spiked to 51% of the U.S. population —its highest level in five years, according to the Pew Research Center. Support for laws protecting the right to own guns fell from 49% to 42%.
Polls showed a return to pre-Sandy Hook opinion levels about six months later. But in comparison, a shooting that killed six people at a 2011 rally for Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle
Though to be clear it is difficult to define what is considered a mass shooting and the numbers may reflect this gray area. For example, on February, 25 2016 a gunman shot and killed three people and injured 14 more in Hesston, KS this is the 33rd mass shooting of 2016 or is it actually just the 2nd? According to the shooting tracker by Mother …show more content…
each year, but get the most attention in the media. Journalism can be a powerful force for change, and news organizations should not flinch at reporting on mass shootings. But what the Daily News editors didn't realize was that this sensational approach can possibly do more than perturb or offend. Such images provide the notoriety mass killers crave and can even be a jolt of inspiration for the next shooter. Since the 1980s, forensic investigators have found examples of mass killers emulating their most famous predecessors. Now, there is growing evidence that the copycat problem is far more serious than is generally understood. Ever since the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been studying what motivates people to carry out these crimes. As part of our investigation into threat assessment, Mother Jones documented the chilling scope of the "Columbine effect": We found at least 74 plots and attacks across 30 states in which suspects and perpetrators claimed to have been inspired by the nation's worst high school massacre. Their goals ranged from attacking on the anniversary of Columbine to outdoing the original body count. STOP IDEALIZING MASS …show more content…
The only reason this happened was because an employee at the first store stated that Jared looked uneasy and anxious, he refused to sell him any ammunition forcing Jared to go to another store. In this situation there are so many what ifs, what if the employee called the police, what if Jared’s licenses was flagged, and what if that could have prevented the tragic shooting. There are various arguments to this proposal, one being it can become a slippery slope of how far the government will go once they have access to flag your license leading many to oppose this idea. Others state that someone who is determined enough to cause chaos will simply stock pile ammunition for weeks and months, making the law ineffective in stopping mass shootings. California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and sadly these laws haven’t prevented seven mass shootings using legally purchased guns since 2006. After the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook, support for controls on gun ownership spiked to 51% of the U.S. population —its highest level in five years, according to the Pew Research Center. Support for laws protecting the right to own guns fell from 49% to 42%.
Polls showed a return to pre-Sandy Hook opinion levels about six months later. But in comparison, a shooting that killed six people at a 2011 rally for Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle