Gun Violence
The Effects
By: Amelia Carnahan
Teen activists are usually highly affected by the cause they fight for. That's usually what empowers them to speak out. I feel like teen activists seem more powerful than adults. I think this because this is their lifetime. They are going to be alive here for longer, this is their future. They seem to have a more powerful view. They don’t sit and have long meetings about the costs and so on and so on. They do. They act. They are teen ACTivists. When I was reading about kids involved in gun violence, I think that the effect is more than just “being more afraid of guns” I think it’s more than just “the loss of loved ones” (New York Times). After they are involved they talk about the power they felt. How empowered they felt to speak out. They’re so passionate about what they believe in because it’s no longer something they read about or saw in the news. It was them. They were affected. And kids aren’t going to stop being affected unless we change.
The heroes behind the solution
Corinne. G
This huge problem needs a solution, and I´m going to be talking a little bit about the activists/heroes behind the change. In 2017 teen activists started a movement called March for our Lives. This event was across the United States. Teen activists decided to begin this movement after a significant shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool, in Parkland, Florida. This shooting left 17 people dead. Sometimes people need an event, an experience to notice how much they care about the situation, or problem in the world, and some people just know. (abcnews.go.com)
Activists might be our only hope to stop this terrible issue. A few people behind the March for our Lives movement are Emma Gonzalez, Jaclyn Corin, Alex Wind, David Hogg, and Cameron Kasky. These are only a few people behind this incredible, inspiring movement.
Emma Gonzalez is 20 years old today, at the time of the March for our Lives she was 18, so she could already vote, Emma Gonzalez is the oldest in the group, but not by very much. All of the other group members were only 17, so they could not vote.
These are the people that fought against gun rights after their school shooting. They asked politicians things like, can you promise if you get voted in you will do something about this? None of them could make the promise. “At the end of the day, we don’t want people to have their guns taken away. We just want the people to be more responsible. We want civilians to have to go through more rolls of red tape to get what they want, because if any of that tape can stop those who shouldn’t own a gun from owning a gun, then our government will have done something right.”- Emma Gonzalaz (seventeen.com)
US Firearm deaths. By: Ione
US Firearm deaths
By: Ione Saunders
The U.S gun rates are higher than many low income countries. The U.S gun rates were 4.43 per 100,000 in 2017, And in 2017 they said the U.S had their highest number of deaths due to gun violence since 1968, with 39,773 deaths by firearm. Most people would consider the U.S as one of the bigger social economic countries, meaning we have a lot of money and a lot of people, But the U.S is in the top 18 for highest gun violence rates. Here is how the U.S compares to the highest gun violence rates (Nurith Aizenman).
This is how the US compares with the lowest gun violence rates.
Us firearm deaths (continued)
The U.S gun violence rates are still very high but most of the deaths are not homicides they are suicides.
Many people are trying to help make a change in the suicide rates. The suicide rates in 2017 were 14 per 100,000 people. Suicide is very hard for the families of the victim because one day the person can be very happy and the next they take their life. Sometimes children and teens may think that it was their fault that the person took their life and can be traumatized and that feeling may never go away.
So what are people doing about the high suicide rates?
The Washington post has an article that talks about how guns are the most lethal way to kill yourself because they are so easy to get. Making guns not as easy to get a hold of could bring the suicide and gun violence rate down a Ton. (NPR).
More importantly in your own community, you could do so much as to reach out to somebody. You could simply give someone an ear, so that they won't feel so alone, you could even help save a life.-Ione
Firearms and gun laws
By: Dylan Fuscia
Due to the extreme amount of deaths by firearms and other guns there has to be a limit to how many people can die from a gun. This is a horrible thing that needs to stop. We need more gun laws. In 1791 the bill of rights was signed satting that it was legal to carry a gun and anyone could. Little did anyone know that this act would pave the way for some of the worst deaths in history. In 1934 the first ever gun law was passed and this was huge. This gun law was passed because people saw what these weapons could do, These weapons tear families apart.
So the big question is why are these horrible weapons still in this world. Well the short answer is people want to be safe and other people want to hurt others. In 1938 An act began called the federal firearm act this act made it so all manufactures and importers have to have a license to deal out these weapons this would also include that lists of customer records would be recorded.
This act was created because many were being killed and no one knew where to look as far as how they even got a gun in the first place. All of these deaths were getting to a point where something had to be done, and so something was done. In 1939 Shout guns were being sold again. Just when You thought things were getting better. Skipping a few years In 1968 After the assassination of John. F. Kennedy. A new law was passed that bombs, grenades and mines were no longer allowed. In 1986 Gun inspections were limited to only once a year. In 1993 The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was passed where background checks were required when buying a gun. In 1994 assault weapons were banned.
In 2003 People were no longer aloud to show where criminals bought their weapons. In 2005 The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act was signed by President George W. Bush. In 2008 Handguns were banned and tiger locks were required. (Sarah Gray)
School Shootings Stand Ups
By London Washington
11th graders named Emma González, Cameron Kasky, Alex Wind and Jaclyn Corin have started a protest called #NeverAgian movement to stop gun violence. According to the University of Alabama Study they say that 31% of the world's mass shooters are American. But according to the 2007 Small Arms Survey,
The U.S. has only 4.4% of the world’s population, yet it accounts for roughly 42% of the world’s guns. After 20 first graders and 6 staff members were killed by Adam Lanza at the Connecticut Elementary School in December of 2012. Executive Orders to strengthen the background-check system and study gun violence, and several states tightened gun restrictions were issued by President Obama.
What congress can do:
One of the MANY things congress could do to prevent any unneeded violence against guns is, do back round checks. Trump has addressed the shooting in Parkland Florida and had to say this, "is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system" for gun purchases. A Texas Republican named John Cornyn spoke to President Trump talked about a bill he introduced with a Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy on how they tend to strengthen the rates and deaths of the of people against gun violence.