The Problem of Gun Violence in the United States Essay Example
Gun violence in the united states is becoming very common, and it seems like we as citizens are doing very little to stop it. Gun violence is an extremely unjustifiable act. A main question that circulates within this topic is what are peoples motives when committing these acts? Statistics show that Gun Violence is largely affecting the Unites States as a whole. Every day, over 100 Americans are killed with guns (Everytown Research). This number is extremely large for the country as a whole. We don’t know for sure the exact reasons behind all of these deaths, but this does show that there is a clear problem in our society that is only getting worse.
“We found that a higher percentage of police are killed in some states than others and the key factor isn’t crime leve
...ls – its gun availability” (Hemenway). Gun availability is leading to a higher level of gun violence in America. Many people care about their guns and are not willing to change gun laws in order to lower these statistics. This makes these acts more unjustifiable because people are victims of gun violence daily and an enormous amount of the population does not care at all. Behind these high numbered statistics is a person with the motive to create them.
What are the people who commit these acts of gun violence’s main motives when committing a crime? It is quite obvious that a person who is willing to point, aim, and shoot a gun at a person or group of people has some sort of intent to kill. That being said, there are many possible reasons as to why someone would want
to do this. For example, revenge, jealousy, or racial animous (Knoll). This is stating that there are many possible reasons or motives for someone to become a killer.
An example of this would be the character Macbeth had intent to kill because he wanted power and to be on the throne. Everyone’s background is different, but still does not make this act any less unjustifiable. “In an average month, 52 American women are shot to death by an intimate partner, and many more injured” (Everytown Research). This is an example of there being many different motives.
Who knows what was happening in these relationships, but it is unjustifiable that their ‘lovers’ or anyone in general decided that they could end their lives. Motives point fingers at many different groups of many different people, women being an example. The gun violence rate towards minority groups like women and African Americans is very high.
Treatment of different ethnic groups is very unethical when it comes to topics like gun violence. Statistics are a very important variable in this topic, without them none of this would be taken seriously. “Black Americans are 10 times more likely than white Americans to be killed by gun homicide” (Everytown Research). As it is, gun violence is not acceptable in todays society.
People who commit crimes tend to not care how others are treated, and in general people tend to ignore how other races from their own are being treated. The reality of it is many groups are suffering from the effects of gun violence more than white people. Not even just ethnicity, people of different religion, gender, and beliefs are also getting targeted for just
living!
It is extremely unjustifiable to target and commit a crime against someone just because they are different from the perpetrator. “Black children and teens are 14 times more likely than white children and teens of the same age to die by gun homicide” (Everytown Research). Children in minority groups are even more vulnerable to the effects of gun violence, for no other reason than for just living.
It is now 2020, killing people because they are ‘different’ in America is absolutely unjustifiable. America has been called a melting pot, and everyone living here should not be expected to be exactly the same. These unjustifiable acts of violence are not only happening to white Americans. Across the board, the effects of gun violence are hitting the majority if not all individuals in America.
Many authorities often connect causes of gun violence to mental illness, however this is not the case. Individuals with mental illness are actually more likely to be the VICTIMS of a violent crime than the perpetrators. These individuals are 10 times more likely than the general public to be the victim (Ranney). People are quick to assume that people with mental illness will now become criminals, when it is actually the other way around.
“First, it bears repeating that there is only a weak correlation between violence and mental illness per se” (Knoll). Many sources point out the very small connection between gun violence and mental illness, but people choose to ignore it. This relates to Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” because at the time Macbeth and Lady Macbeth killed King Duncan, neither of them had any mental problems, these problems were developed after the murder due to guilt
(The Tragedy of Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts).
Mental illness is not a necessary sign of potential criminals. Even if an individual who committed a crime did have mental illness, it would not make criminal acts any more justifiable. Media coverage of mass shootings may be dulling down the reality of the issue. “Shootings by younger perpetrators are more likely to receive coverage than those committed by older perpetrators” (Lloyd). Younger criminals getting more coverage means that a large population of older age shooters are getting passed by, which makes the issue seem like less of an issue.
There should be equal coverage of crime no matter the age, race, or location. School shootings are more likely to get more attention than shootings in other, smaller areas (Lloyd). School shootings are becoming much more common, possibly due to the attention and power the shooters get from the medias attention. School shootings are most definitely a non justifiable act.
There is no reason why kids should be murdered in a place where they feel safe enough to go every day to learn. This is extremely selfish and malevolent because one individual should not have the power to decide whether multiple children get to live or die. This is similar to the unjustified violence in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, Macbeth kills Macduff’s wife and child just to prove a point (The Tragedy of Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts).
Macbeth had no right to decide whether the child lived or died, similar to how a murder in today’s society has no right to make the same decision. This is also selfish of the media covering these acts of gun violence. All criminal acts should
be covered to raise awareness to a growing problem. “Personal exposure to gun violence is associated with an increase in major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder” (Ranney).
Perpetrators of gun violence don’t see the harm in what they are doing to the environment and the people in it, they only think about themselves. The character Macbeth reflects these qualities. He only cares about getting to the throne and will harm anyone or anything in his way to get there. These selfish acts are ruining peoples everyday lives and the population needs to be aware of it. Every incidence of gun violence needs to be reported and shared for the population to see, or this problem is not going to get any better in the near future.
In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, after hearing the witches prophecies about Macbeth being king, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide to kill the current king (King Duncan) (The Tragedy of Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts). Knowing the witches prophecies would eventually come true, Macbeths actions of killing King Duncan are unjustified and selfish. Macbeth continues the killings when he learns there are threats to him getting on the throne.
He is worried about Banquo being a threat to him, he thinks that he knows about him killing Duncan. Macbeth then has Banquo killed (The Tragedy of Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts). Macbeth killing Banquo is EXTREMELY unjustifiable. Banquo was Macbeths best friend, and more than likely had no suspicions about Macbeth.
Macbeths desire for power was beginning to take over and he was selfishly harming others to make himself feel better. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth also kills Macduff’s wife and child to prove
a point not to mess with him. All of these points make me believe that this is what murderers and criminals do. They selfishly put the lives of others in danger just so they can feel more powerful. None of this could be seen as remotely justifiable. The scenarios that play out in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” are scenarios that are still happening in todays society.
As gun violence is only becoming more common in the United States, the people of America need to do their best to raise awareness about this situation. As research and studies continue, we gain more knowledge about warning signs and how to stop a crime from being committed. A plan of action needs to be taken to change our society. Unjustifiable acts like the ones mentioned are happening all over in many different forms. Many people’s lives are changed forever because of this topic. Violence like in “Macbeth” is considered unjustifiable still happening today in different forms.
Works Cited
- Everytown. “Gun Violence in America.” EverytownResearch.org, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 19 Nov. 2019, everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-america/.
- Folger Shakespeare Library. The Tragedy of Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts. Ed. Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles. Folger Shakespeare Library 06 Dec. 2019, www.folgerdigitaltexts.org Hemenway, David. “Off the Cuff: What Don't We Know about the Causes of Gun Violence? Almost Everything.”
- Harvard Public Health Magazine, Harvard Public Health, 6 Oct. 2016, www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/off-the-cuff-what-dont-we-know-about-the-causes-of-gun-violence-almost-everything/.
- Knoll, James L, and Ronald W. Pies. “Moving Beyond ‘Motives’ in Mass Shootings.” Psychiatric Times, MJH Like Sciences, 14 Jan. 2019, www.psychiatrictimes.com/couch-crisis/moving-beyond-motives-mass-shootings.
- Lloyd, Robin, et al. “Media Coverage of Mass Shootings: Is It Part of the Problem?” Undark Magazine, Undark, 20 Nov.
2019, undark.org/2018/03/08/media-coverage-of-mass-shootings-misses-the-mark-for-decades/.
