Martin 1

Jason Martin

ENG 1201

Caroline Reynolds

12 December 2021

Which methods are best to lowering gun violence in the U.S?

For many years, gun violence has been a problem in America. It is like a plague that the

U.S just cannot get rid of. With guns continuing to flow through the country and being readily

available to many, it seems that the dangers are becoming more and more imminent. There

should not be quite so much gun violence in America, and there are steps that can be taken to

lessen it. Therefore, solutions are possible but there are conflicting viewpoints on this subject

matter that must be discussed.

With only 5% of the population, America ended up with 50% of all guns in civilian’s

hands globally. Guns in America are not only a part of the country's history, but they are also

responsible for the deaths of Native Americans and slavery (Hartmann). The fact that America is

now drenched in gunfire should come as no surprise, this country's past is one of the most

murderous in world history.

The genocide and centuries-long "total war" waged by European settlers against Native

Americans are at the heart of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment states that the

people's right to keep and bear arms is not infringed if they do not have a well-regulated militia

(Hartmann). Slavery laid the foundation for the Second Amendment. With militias being

deployed in the southern states to keep African slaves inside plantation grounds or to bring back

the ones who escaped, slave patrols were well regulated by the slave states and required

everyone to have a gun.

 Martin 2

The abundance of weapons in the US have become so prevalent that it affects not only

America but the neighboring country of Mexico as well. Many of the guns used in Mexico were

imported from the US. The deaths of thousands of people in the country have been attributed to

the lax US gun laws (Nieto and Nubia). Trafficking of guns across the border from the US to

Mexico is a direct link to the drug cartels power. This is relevant in displaying the absolute reach

that guns in America can have on the rest of the world.

Fig. 1. This graphic represents the divide that the second amendment and gun control

causes. On the left side, they believe in gun control while the left side is all about their second

amendment right and is against gun control (Breen).

 Martin 3

Understanding the various factors that motivate individuals to commit gun violence can

help prevent it. Various factors such as household members, schoolmates, and neighborhood

peers are known to contribute to gun violence (Sanchez et al). This all can start in the childhood

years of a person’s life. In addition to the physical danger, gun violence occurrences cause

millions of Americans to experience long-term detrimental mental health effects such as fear,

worry, sadness, and feelings of helplessness.

When looking deeper into the risk factors and aggressive tendencies, Children who were

bullied more often had a higher chance of having access to a loaded pistol without parental

consent. “The odds ratio for adolescents (ages 11–20) physically harming someone on school

grounds was 68 percent higher for students who reported elevated psychological distress

compared to those who did not, underlining the need of establishing steps to minimize school

bullying (Sanchez et al).” Violent actions were born from those who felt rejected from society

which finally led to homicides involving firearms (Sanchez et al).

Growing up in school, it is proven that the kids who get bullied have a higher chance of

retaliating violently. The percentage gets higher and higher based off the amount of risk factors

that the student is exposed to. Students who are not bullied, have a significantly lower likelihood

of bringing a weapon to school than the likelihood of a student who has been bullied, beaten up,

threatened, and had something stolen from them (Lurie).

Gun violence is a part of an insanely cruel and vicious cycle that has yet to have a

definitive answer to end it. One in four students in the US will experience a traumatic event

during their early years (Francis). Children in violent communities have worse scholastic

achievement because of early exposure to violence. These traumatic experiences alter a child's
 Martin 4

developing brain over time. As a result, their brains are fundamentally developed for survival but

not for information retention, which could affect their academic progress.

Having a good home, a healthy family, and a good education can all help children avoid

making risky decisions. However, being in a high-crime area or having bad social ties can also

lead to aggressive behavior.

Mass shootings occur at a higher rate than anyplace else on the planet. From 1999 to

2013, over 20 mass shootings occurred in the country. In the last six years, over two thousand

people were murdered in shootings (Maurizio et al). Even if we limit the number of mass

shootings to those that occur in public settings and are not linked to gang activity, we still have

more than five every year.

When mass shootings happen and make the news, the most common thing to think is that

we should eliminate all guns. But demanding that the government handle the problem of violent

crime by gun restriction would eventually lead to authoritarian like government which is the

concern of some. Rather than taking on more responsibility for our lives, the government should

take on less. Each community should debate and tackle the problem of violent crimes and the

causes that contribute to them (Ausman and Miguel).

Gun control is a hotly debated topic that often divides opinion. "Gun control" refers to

anything intended to restrict the ownership or use of firearms. On one side you have pro-gun

radicalism and Americans who fear lacking the possession of a gun. On the other side you have

people who are pro-gun control and believe that it will reduce gun related injuries, attacks, and

deaths.

In a Documentary titled “Guns and Empathy”, New York Magazine collaborated with a

nonprofit for an experiment in shared empathy. The concept was simple: bring people from
 Martin 5

opposing sides of the gun debate together to discuss their experiences and see if they could find

common ground. The emotional interactions that followed, however, were anything but easy.

Todd Underwood (Founder of United Gun Group) shared his story first of how he had to

use his gun in self-defense. He stated that he was in a road rage incident with a random man who

followed him closer and closer to home where his pregnant wife was. Underwood’s attacker cut

him off, kicked open the door and stormed to his truck. Underwood stated that he had his gun

with him, and he simply pointed it out the window and the attacker that tried to attack saw the

weapon, said he was sorry, and walked right back to his car. Underwood basically was showing

why having the ability to carry a firearm saved him from an attack and why he believes he needs

it to protect him and his family.

After listening to Underwood’s story, Carolyn Tuft (Shot in Salt Lake City Mall

Shooting) begins to tell her gun related story. She starts off with giving a background story about

her daughter Kiersten, reminiscing about how kind and beautiful she was. Tuft then gives an in-

detail story of how herself and her daughter were attacked in the mall. Tuft explains how she was

shot 3 times by a shotgun and then says, “As I look over to her, he put the gun to the side of her

head and blew the back of her head off while I watched.” referring to her daughter. This

unfiltered and raw story just shows the terrible effects that guns have had in America.

After big mass shootings in the past, polls have shown rises in support for stronger gun

control legislation, but these spikes have often dissipated fast. Since 1999, the US has seen a

string of mass shootings (Kantack). A question that can be asked pertaining to mass shootings

would be, “Is the American public more susceptible to increased gun control advocacy after a

mass shooting?”. The call to enact gun regulation following a mass shooting is consistent with

academic research. It highlights the potential impact of a mass shooting on policymakers' goals.
 Martin 6

The number of mass shooting incidents in the US from 2014 up until last year, 2020 have

steadily increased from year to year on average (Jackson). One must add that despite of the

pandemic, 2020 was still the year that involved the most mass shootings in the US within the last

seven years which is beyond insane.

One alternative viewpoint is that guns prevent crime. The number of people who defend

themselves with guns has reached 2.5 million annually. In the US, a gun saves about 20 to 80

lives for every life lost to a crime (Ausman and Miguel). There are plenty of stories of when a

firearm was used in a case of self-defense, to protect one’s family, and to save the life of another.

When it comes to examining the effects of gun violence on victims, it is clear that many

of them have different responses to the suffering they experienced. A series of interviews

occurred in 1998. The people surveyed were all survivors of gun violence. The study comprised

victims over the age of 18 who were fluent in English. The four themes identified by the

interviews are: the prevalent nature of everyday violence, the feeling of abandonment by

society's institutions, and the effects of gun violence on the psychological effects (Francis).

These all of which are the resulting responses conditioned by the pain they had to endure being

victims of gun violence.

The Solano County Fairgrounds Association Board of Directors agreed to ban gun

exhibitions on August 12, 2020, making many mothers who have lost sons to gun violence in

Vallejo, California, delighted. Pati Navalta is the founder of the Robby Poblete Foundation,

which is named after her 23-year-old son, who was slain in a shooting in 2014 (Freedman).

“While some gun shows adhere to the same regulations as gun shops, there are others that

circumvent gun safety laws and are a breeding ground for illegal gun exchanges and ghost guns.

These are the very weapons we seek to take out of circulation through our buybacks. This move
 Martin 7

is long overdue, and I applaud the County Fair board for voting to save lives (Navalta).” This

shows that banning gun shows will reduce the illegal gun exchanges which will save lives from

being lost. Also, Gun buyback programs aim to prevent gun violence by using public funding to

purchase civilians' privately held firearms. These are both excellent ways to help lower gun

violence in the US which is the goal here.

The failure of the gun violence prevention campaign in terms of motivating and engaging

youth has been a major failure, as it was underappreciated and disorganized prior to March for

Our Lives. (Crandall). With the introduction of a strong gun violence prevention program in all

the communities and schools for the youth, only then it will be seen a decrease in gun violence in

the US. This is because most conductors of gun violence and mass shootings don’t just magically

wake up one day and decide to shoot. It starts out with a rough childhood or troubled past that

leads to the person committing these terrible crimes. If it can be stopped early on with these

programs, that is the course of action that will need to be taken to lower gun violence.

The firearm industry promotes American gun culture through large marketing efforts and

lobbing activities. The National Rifle Association (NRA) fights in the United States against all

forms of gun restriction, claiming that more weapons are needed to make the country safer. The

NRA spends around $3 million per year on lobbying for gun legislation (Flores). With the

defunding of such associations like the NRA and the marketing efforts that come with it, this will

also contribute towards lowering the use of weapons in the US.

Gun violence in the US presents itself as a problem that must be addressed. Lowering the

staggering numbers of gun violence incidents requires action from the government, communities,

schools, youth, and the people who are in the position to commit the crime. With introducing

measures to reducing gun violence across the country and using the presented solutions stated in
 Martin 8

this paper, only then will a change be seen, and less people will have to mourn the loss of a loved

one due to senseless violence that occurs every year.

In this essay, the conflicting viewpoints on gun control and the second amendment were

discussed, the history behind why gun control is so prevalent in the US today was reviewed, the

effects gun violence and mass shootings have on its victims were talked about, and the solutions

to lowering gun violence in the US was introduced. All these factors contributed to telling the

story of gun violence and how to stop it.

 Martin 9

Works Cited

“91% - A Film About Guns in America (Sandy Hook) | Crime Documentary | True Crime.”

YouTube, uploaded by Reel Truth Crime, 28 June 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKMeCJtlVuU&t=836s

“Documentary: Guns and Empathy.” YouTube, uploaded by New York Magazine, 5 Jan 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jph5M0dGokA&t=936s

Ausman, James I., and Miguel A. Faria. “Is Gun Control Really about People Control?”

Surgical Neurology International, vol. 10, Oct. 2019, pp. 1–13. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.25259/SNI_480_2019.

Crandall, Marie, et al. Why We Are Losing the War on Gun Violence in the United States.

Springer Nature Switzerland, 2021

Francis, Mary. “A Narrative Inquiry into the Experience of Being a Victim of Gun

Violence.” Journal of trauma nursing: the official journal of the Society of Trauma

Nurses vol. 25,6 (2018): 381-388. doi:10.1097/JTN.0000000000000406

Freedman, Richard. “Mothers of Murdered Sons Elated with Gun Show Ban at Solano County

Fairgrounds.” Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), 12 Aug. 2021. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=pwh&AN=2W61734854294&site=eds-live.

Kantack, Benjamin R., and Collin E. Paschall. “Does ‘Politicizing’ Gun Violence Increase

Support for Gun Control? Experimental Evidence from the Las Vegas Shooting.” Social

Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), vol. 101, no. 2, Mar. 2020, pp. 893–908.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/ssqu.12754.
 Martin 10

Maurizio Porfiri, et al. “Self-Protection versus Fear of Stricter Firearm Regulations: Examining

the Drivers of Firearm Acquisitions in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting.” Patterns, vol.

1, no. 6, Sept. 2020. EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1016/j.patter.2020.100082.

Mcalpine, Kat J., and Colarossi Jessica. “The FBI and CDC Datasets Agree: Who Has Guns—

Not Which Guns—Linked to Murder Rates” Boston University, 6 Aug. 2019,

https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/state-gun-laws-that-reduce-gun-deaths/ Accessed 17

Oct. 2021.

Nieto Flores, Nubia Zulma. “The Impact of American Guns on Violence in Mexico.” Asian

Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. 34, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 275–296. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.22945/ajlas.2021.34.2.275.

Sanchez, Carol, et al. “A Systematic Review of the Causes and Prevention Strategies in Reducing

Gun Violence in the United States.” American Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 38,

no. 10, Oct. 2020, pp. 2169–2178. EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.06.062.

Thom Hartmann. The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment. Berrett-Koehler

Publishers, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=2047586&site=eds-live.