The Onslaught of Mass Shootings in the United States: Where Does it End?
This Valentine’s Day marked yet another school mass shooting, adding to the over 200 school shootings that have occured since the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in 2012. This month, in Parkland, Florida, 17 students and teachers were killed by a 19-year-old ex-student with a history of severe mental health issues revolving around violence. Many of the students, parents, and teachers at the school stated that they had seen mass shootings occur in towns across the U.S., but could never have imagined one happening in their own community.
It is clear that the United States as a whole is becoming desensitized to mass shootings due to the sheer number that occur every year. After each one, a typical routine seems to follow, where thousands of people take to Twitter or other social media outlets to express their “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and survivors, or the need for policy changes, with no action actually taken against the issue. It’s only a few weeks later that the incident fades away, until it becomes grouped as just another statistic.
After the incident in Parkland, many survivors, politicians, and celebrities who are tired of the developing mass shooting epidemic in the U.S. are again calling for the government to revise gun control, declaring that the only way to prevent future mass shootings is to prevent guns from reaching the hands of citizens who are not mentally fit to own them. Some argue that the issue can be resolved by arming designated teachers, so they can defend themselves and their students if a shooting takes place at their school. However, others say that this type of extreme defense is not something that teachers should be expected to undertake, and that banning assault-rifles would be the best step towards working to eliminate mass shootings. Although there are several contradictory solutions circulating the country, it is clear to all Americans that something needs to be done in order to maintain safety for citizens in public places, whether it be at school, the mall, or a concert.
Photo by Don Juan Moore, Vox Media
