Mass shootings are an American tragedy. It is a tragedy that so many lives are lost in a second at gunpoint. It is a tragedy that things like these happen so often that it seems like the daily news that doesn’t seem to affect anyone. Usually when there is a mass shooting in America, things go like this: the entire country is heartbroken due to this tragedy, the news is bombarding everyone with details from this event, protests might begin to take place because people realize how ridiculous this all is. Then people demand gun control, the president sends his thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. The protests eventually die with time and everyone forgets everything until the new mass shooting happens and then the cycle starts again. Why is America so attached to owning guns? It’s so attached to this that it’s even written in the Constitution. Guns are power, it is the reason for the existence of this massive nation. There are 120.5 firearms per 100 residents in the US (Ingraham). This statistic suggests that some Americans own more than one gun. This increases the chances of accidents happening involving gun violence. Gun attacks and mass shootings have become deadlier. It’s only going to get worse unless gun control is stressed and taken seriously.
One of the largest corporations that help support presidential campaigns is the NRA. Often the NRA supports republican candidates and their camplaings. It supported Trump’s campaign and because of this, even though there was a mass shooting in Parkland High School in Florida, no changes were made to gun policy in this nation. During his time in office he even made it easier
for people to be able to get guns, requiring less background and mental health checks. This funding definitely is given by these companies to certain individuals with a set agenda in order to favor massive corporations and policies that benefit them. Gun control might negatively impact the NRA by decreasing its revenue. Therefore, they use these “donations” to politicians to keep policies as they are.
Mass shootings are an American tragedy, and along with this, so is racism. An issue that many people don’t dare to speak about is who exactly is the face of this tragedy? Usually it’s those that call themselves “loyal Americans”, but more importantly, they’re usually White which means that they aren’t penalized as harshly as they would if they were a person of color, this is America.
Sources:
1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/476456/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-shooter-s-race/
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-p eople-in-the-united-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/
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