Gun violence or weapons-related violence is committing violence with the use of a firearm. Studies have found a positive connection between suicide, homicide, and gun ownership. Among developed countries, the US has the highest per capita number of gun-related deaths. It also has the largest number of people who own guns. Laws and policies have been established to regulate the manufacture, sale, and possession of guns and firearms by US citizens.
Neighborhoods struggling with poverty, failing schools, and unemployment have high instances of gun violence compared to other states. Intense racial disparities are also a contributing factor to gun violence. Lauren Krivo, a sociologist who studies the geography of race and crime, says that violence is not caused by race but by racialized conditions that are racially unequal. Black men are overwhelmingly the victims of gun murders in cities that experience a high number of gun homicides that has also persisted for some time. This is according to FBI data. A George Mason University researcher on the geographic distribution of crime, David Weisbard, said the problem could not be solved if it was approached as a broad global problem where money is invested in a broad global way. Rather, it should be viewed as a state issue where those states that have a higher rate of gun violence are given first priority. This is because much of the gun violence in the United States occurs in small, predictable places. The violence is provoked by a high-risk group of people and is random. This is the first time the census truck has been used in the United States to map gun homicides across the country. The Gun Violence Archive uses media reports to report gun deaths and shootings. The FBI’s National Crime Data reports provide statistics on gun violence only at the city level that dwarfs violence in neighborhoods.
Both conservatives and liberals have argued that extreme social trends are the main causes of gun violence. Government failures, cultural violence and toxic dynamics in marginalized families are the causes of this violence according to conservatives. Consequently, racism, historical oppression, inadequate opportunities, and the availability of weapons lead to violence according to liberals. To correct the violence, both liberals and conservatives believe that intervening and making changes is beyond their reach. The researchers argue that the magnitude of gun violence in the US can be compared to a contagious disease that is spreading rampant. The risk factors are poverty and inequality and those most at risk are demographic groups since violence spreads like a virus from one person to another.
Solutions to gun violence
One of the best approaches to preventing violence is to target those who use firearms to harm others and themselves and find ways to reduce it. These are high-risk people, although the number is small. Proposals have been put forward after many high-profile shooting incidents, such as a ban on military-style assault weapons. Although this can work, it can only save a small number of people, so it doesn’t make a major difference. Local programs have reduced gang-related violence by 20-40%, so communities should advocate for more funding for these programs. Limiting munitions capacity, investing in intervention programs and threat assessment programs has been found to be more effective. New York State has passed a law requiring mental health professionals to report anyone they believe to be dangerous to themselves or others to the state’s database. Some cities have done an analysis of gun violence and found that a small number of people are responsible for fueling this violence. An example is Oakland, where some 1,000 members of a few active groups were responsible for the violence. Direct communication with these youth with some assistance in regulating law enforcement led to a rapid drop in the number of gun violence cases. In Boston, a 63% reduction in homicide levels was reported. This strategy was effective through coordination between community members and the police department in the neighborhoods affected by the violence. The strategy has been implemented in other states across the country and, with sufficient funding, can be an effective way to reduce gun-related violence.
Another solution is for the government to implement strict laws. According to the FBI, associated press analysis data, 760 US citizens are killed with firearms by their wives or husbands. The data also shows that the majority of victims are women. The shooting could end with the death of both victims, since most of them are domestic violence shootings. The laws, which have been put in place for domestic abusers, are not helping victims very much, as most of them have a modest effect. Studies conducted by three companies found that there was a reduction in the number of deaths related to gun violence in states that established strict laws. Each year, these states experienced fewer and fewer gun-related homicides.
Armory project. In the US, states with the highest gun ownership have seen a high rate of gun suicides. Suicide is an impulsive act for many people. Easy access to a gun or firearm can be very dangerous in a time of crisis. The armory project aims to use people and not the law to address the risks involved. “A friend does not allow his friend to drive while he is drunk” and during the crisis “a person can hold his friend’s gun for a while, talk to him and advise him, then he can return the gun and no stigma will be imposed on him” , said. Eddie Cutler, gun owner to the president of Vermont. Although no research has been done evaluating how well the gun store project works, participants in this program are optimistic about the approach that has brought people together across partisan lines.
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