How to Change the Gun Violence Situation in the US

In the United States, the number of cases of gun violence have increased tremendously. The reason why these numbers have been so high is because guns have been made easily accessible to the general public. The implications that gun violence has had on the country are so damaging that it is time that the American government come up with ways in which the availability of guns to the American citizens can be restrained. Due to the gun violence situation; people are committing suicide every other day, mass kills all over the place, and unintentional deaths from time to time.

The only solution to this issue is to identify the causes of misuse of guns and then coming up very strict gun policies governing the use firearms in the country. There needs to be ways that are formulated to also ensure that the set policies are being executed as planned and that the number of guns in the hands of the public is reduced.

While it is true that individuals with mental health issues are more likely to be victims rather than architects of violent crimes, certain signs and symptoms can be prompt their violent behavior such as paranoia, borderline personality disorders and narcissism (Butts, Roman & Porter, 2015). The chance of being violent for people with mental illness is especially high when they are under stress or has experienced trauma. For example, there was a recent mass killing committed by a young man whom people claimed had sent out several warnings on how dangerous he was. Regret is the only thing with people because they did not concern themselves enough to recognize these signs and do the necessary to prevent him from acting out on his violent compulsions.

Health studies show that there an emergency visit for non-fatal assault injury puts a young person at forty percent higher risk as a result of gun injury with many of them dying from accidental shootings in their own homes. The same applies for the children, with almost eighty nine percent of unintentional shooting deaths occurring as a result of them playing with their parents’ loaded gun in their absentia. Again, among children, the majority of cases of inadvertent deaths brought about by guns is due to the children’s’ accessibility to firearms such that they inflict it on themselves or in the hands of another child. Suicide rates are higher among people owning guns in their homes, even after the government tried addressing differences of issues such as poverty, unemployment, mental illness, and alcohol and drug misuse among the various states in the country. Health studies have also shown that the suicide attempts with a gun are more fatal compared to those attempted using poisoning or jumping off high places since close to ninety percent of those who attempt suicide eventually die and ninety percent of those that survive the suicide attempt go on to die of other causes other than suicide. It is important not to forget that domestic violence in homes tends to turn out more lethal with a gun nearby considering that the abusive partner’s access to the firearm intensifies the risk of a homicide especially for women in physically brutal relationships and marriages (Gerney, & Parsons, 2014).

Regardless of the stern rules and legislations that are in place for guns, killers will not stop shooting and harassing innocent people with firearms. Such men and women cause harm to the lives of many people and disregard the existence of laws governing the use of guns because they are out there to harm innocent people (Bauchner, Rivara, Bonow, Bressler, Heckers & Rhee, 2017). The number of crimes that are happening today will only result to the increase in the number of strict gun control laws but there will be a high temptation to stealing guns. A good number of American citizens have debated that since most people learned how to shoot, the issue of gun violence became clear. It has been stated that the guns are not the problem but the problem is the people. Police ought to arrest individuals who are committing these criminal activities as they are affecting so many innocent lives. Stricter laws will not only apply because more harm occurs to those who are not normally prepared when they are being attacked, since most gun shootings that have occurred in the United States have occurred in areas where guns are highly controlled.

In an effort to control gun violence in America, the government should pass laws that reduce gun violence. For instance, not all gun laws in the United States of America are equal. The military-grade rifles in the United States have been used in most mass shootings have dominated the political debate, but they actually account for less than five percent of the total homicides in the country. Researchers have linked the involvement of firearms in perpetrating crimes to the right to firearm possession. The right-to-carry firearms applies where the government allows the citizens to own personal. Another measure that should be taken could include; having gun-violence restraining orders. Such can allow law enforcement and family members to petition courts to temporarily bar at-risk individuals from buying firearms and this would eventually lead to a reduction of gun violence. In addition, police officers can also confiscate guns of such individuals.

Economic cost associated with gun violence is another justification to the numerous cases of gun violence, as brought forward by the proponents of gun control. Even though it is not possible to estimate the cost incurred by the victims or the families who go through such experiences, people should, therefore, consider looking at the cost incurred by the country. The prevalence of gun violence cases has severely impacted the American economy (Huff, Barnhart & McAlexander, 2017). One of the ways the state has increased the cost is through the increased medical costs. The government has to incur expenses that cater for the initial and long-term medical bills. Recent research indicated that the American government bears more than 2 billion dollars annually, on gun perpetrated cases. The country’s productivity is also is also significantly impacted by firearm violence. The country’s productivity is affected through loss of earnings. Every year, the American economy loses more than 19 billion dollars. Other hidden costs are also associated with gun violence including victimization cost, law enforcement expenditure, and the cost incurred when arresting, prosecuting, as well as detaining the gun violence criminals. Therefore, the government ought to limit the possession of guns, considering that the country’s economy has been affected and the money used in paying for the medical bills could be used in other development projects.

Another strategy that can be used instead of the strict gun control laws in reducing gun violence in the United States is using doctors. Doctors and other medical professionals can greatly help in educating their patients and various families about gun safety, specifically when it comes to keeping guns out of reach of young children. A recent study has shown that young children such as children at three years are normally strong enough to shoot guns. In addition to this, doctors have the ability to also convince their patients not to indulge into gun violence, mostly patients who have psychological problems. This is because they have the ability to provide information on how they can mentally and psychologically control their patients who are mentally and psychologically affected.

The USA can also eliminate the funding restrictions on the research on gun violence. According to a certain study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, gun violence received an approximate of one point four billion in federal research from money from the year 2004 to the year 2015 (Rajan, Branas, Hargarten & Allegrante, 2018).

This was on the basis of funding levels and mortality rates for other major causes of death. Instead, the government should increase the amounts of money in research on gun violence as this would enable people identify the specific measures and steps that the country can take in reducing gun violence. The government should also set some funds for education programs that aim at educating Americans about gun safety and also teach them on defense mechanisms that they should use when they come face to face with gun criminals (Swanson, McGinty, Fazel & Mays, 2015).

In conclusion, it is clearly evident that gun-violence has been a contentious issue in the United States, and has been subjected to several debates. However, the topic should not be debatable, considering the negative impacts associated with the use of guns by the members of the public. The prevalence of gun violence cases in the country can be attributed to the relaxed laws, compared to the ones implemented in other developed countries especially in Europe. The government is therefore tasked with the obligation of enforcing regulations, which will limit the possession of guns by the members of the public. The government could benchmark from countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom because they have successfully implemented these laws.

Did you like this example?

1166

49