Read this brief report on gun violenceLinks to an external site., which highlights the high rate of gun violence in the United States compared to most countries of the world, particularly those that are most similar to us in population size and wealth.
What might explain the comparatively high rates of lethal violence, particularly with guns, in the United States? (See links at the bottom of the report for some suggestions, cite sources (these or others) to support your argument.)
What social actions/changes do you suggest to address this social problem? Why would those actions/changes be useful?
https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier
Im attaching an example of what someone wrote this how it should be done
The high rates of lethal violence with guns in the United States can be tracked to a number of different factors. First, the increasing availability of guns is important with the United States having one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world. This excessive availability of guns offers easier access to the weapons, which increases the possibility of gun related violence.Also, what is supporting the problem is how the laws are not relatively strict on gun control compared to many other countries, making it very simple to get guns, especially any handguns and assault rifles. Furthermore, social views about weapons play an important role, with the idea of owning a gun being typically linked to having personal freedom and being able to protect yourself, but this creates a strongly rooted gun culture within the United States. Within a CNN article about U.S gun cultures the authors had written “Almost a third of US adults believe there would be less crime if more people owned guns, according to an April 2021 Pew survey. However, multiple studies show that where people have easy access to firearms, gun-related deaths tend to be more frequent, including by suicide, homicide and unintentional injuries.” (Fox, Shveda, Croker, Chacon, 2024). As, poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education and healthcare all contribute to higher rates of violence, including gun violence, especially in areas with high crime rates. This is proven within the U.S by the fact that after a mass shooting, states like Texas have completely loosened gun rules, potentially worsening the problem. This resistance for peace interferes with the attempts to properly handle the fundamental causes of gun violence. To solve this complicated issue, a strong approach is required that involves detailed gun control laws, and actions to change popular beliefs about guns.
2. Social actions can be taken to address this social problem such as serious gun control measures, full background checks, mandatory waiting periods, and bans on assault weapons and guns with an extensive amount of ammo, can help manage a persons access to a gun. This makes it more difficult for people with a history of violence or mental illness to buy guns, so it is ultimately lowering the quantity of gun-related crimes and deaths happening. Additionally, to stop gun violence we have to put investments into even mental health care and additional resources to stop the problem from occurring at all. The people who are committing violent crimes can be detected and treated by making our mental health care more accessible and affordable, minimizing the chance of gun related events. As well as, community based violence prevention programs, like youth mentoring programs, and renewing of the standards of it being normalized to own a gun especially within specific neighborhoods. Within the article written of gun violence with the United States is an outlier the authors mention “Age-adjusted firearm homicide rates range from a high of 14.4 per 100,000 in Washington, DC, to a low of 1.1 per 100,000 in New Hampshire. Washington, DC’s rate is similar to those of Brazil and Jamaica, which rank ninth and tenth globally. New Hampshire’s rate is similar to that of Chile. Even though New Hampshire has the lowest rates of age-adjusted firearm homicides in the US, its rate is still three times greater than the highest rate in Europe Cyprus, with 0.36 deaths per 100,000.” (Leachkemon, Sirull, Glenn, 2023). The ideas of new programs break the cycle of violence and promote safer communities by working directly with vulnerable groups of people and confronting societal imbalances. For example, like the countries Australia and Brazil introducing, gun buy-back programs could decrease the quantity of weapons in distribution, making them less available to those who are guilty of creating violence. Likewise, managing public awareness and education programs to encourage the responsibility of proper gun ownership, and safe storage practices can help avoid accidental shootings and reduce gun related homicides. These efforts assist in creating a gun safety and prevention culture by supplying people with the knowledge and skills they need to handle guns correctly. These strategies collectively address the causes and risks of gun violence, aiming to reduce the rate of it and promote public safety while creating safer neighborhoods for everyone.
References:
Katherine Leach-Kemon, Rebecca Sirull, Scott Glenn, 2023, On gun violence, the United States is an outlier, to an external site.. Kara Fox, Krystina Shveda, Natalie Croker, Marco Chacon, 2024, How US gun culture stacks up with the world, to an external site. . Reply Reply to Comment
