Gun Violence

Gun violence

There are many kind of violence in the world, and the most common and deadly is gun-related violence. Not surprisingly, gun violence is one of the major public concerns in the American society. Interestingly, gun violence is also most common in urban areas and it is in close conjunction with youth activity and gang violence. There are many violent crime related to guns and the presence of guns often would trigger many violent crimes.

Since 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, President James Garfield, President William McKinley, and President John F. Kennedy were assassinated, and the gun violence for Americans has become quite common. Moreover, high profile gun violence incidents, such as the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and more recently, the Columbine High School massacre, the Beltway sniper attacks, and the Virginia Tech massacre have also fueled debate over gun policies. According to the report, prevalence of homicide and violent crime is greatest in urban areas of the United States. In metropolitan areas, the homicide rate in 2005 was 6.1 per 100,000 compared with 3.5 in non-metropolitan counties (fbi.gov). In America, cities with populations greater than 250,000, the mean homicide rate was 12.1 per 100,000 (fbi.gov), and the rates of gun-related homicides are greater in southern and western states.

In America, to get a gun is somewhat easy. It is not expensive and there are many firearms available. According to the report, among juveniles, the minor under the age of 16, 17, or 18, serving in correctional facilities, 86% owned a gun at some time, and 66% acquiring their first gun by age 14 (fbi.gov). Juveniles most often acquire guns from family, friends, drug dealers, and street contacts. In inner city, youth cite "self-protection from enemies" as the top reason for carrying a gun. Moreover, the mind of youth is immature, and they usually be impetuous and easily given to passions or act on impulse and without due consideration. This is shown in statistics that most violent crimes related to guns were committed by the youths.

Even though gun itself is neutral, we cannot deny the potential danger related with guns. Guns are meant to protect the people, but it often used as a tool to commit violent crimes. Therefore, establishing the laws and the limitations to prevention the youth to touch guns is important. Also, families and schools should educate and guide our youths more carefully. Don't let our society become more and more dangerous and give our offspring a safe living space by promoting stricter firearm controls and zero tolerance on youth gun possession.