Student reflects on recent gun violence and mass shootings

 

Free-Writing Response

On September 4th, a student was on the bus to school, with a rifle and a knife in his backpack. Within two hours of arriving at Apalachee High School, he committed the deadliest US school shootings since the March 2023 rampage at the Covenant school in Nashville. Two teachers and two students were dead and nine, one teacher and eight students, were injured. The shooter, Colt Gray missed nine days of classes before the shooting and was charged with four counts of felony murder, and could face life in prison. But how did he obtain the gun? His father bought the gun as a holiday present for his son. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children (CNN).

As of September, there have been at least 49 school shootings, thirteen on college campuses, 36 on K-12 schools. The have left 24 dead and 65 others victims injured (CNN). In September, a man shot his wife and mother-in-law, while two children were there. When the police came, the man turned himself in. The wife was found dead, the mother-in-law was shot, and died later in the hospital. The reason for the shooting was a domestic dispute.

In Dec 2023, a gunman killed three faculty members on a college campus, he died in a shootout with the police. The gunman was roaming the UNLV's Lee Business School and opened fire around noon on their fourth floor. Since it was around noon, if the police had not killed the attacker, there could have been many more (PBS NEWS).

In the United States gun laws vary from state to state (Statisca)

This assignment is to work on a reaction essay for an hour, and I’ve spent my hour reading about mass shootings, school shootings, and gun violence, and now I’m out of time.  I do recommend the powerful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ykNZl9mTQ.  My sister showed it to me a couple years ago.  Naturally, this topic should (and does) provoke stroke emotions. One of the many thoughts I have is wonder and anger. Why can’t our society find a way to stop these events?

Yes, the reaction essay is an assignment to do a free-writing assignment for just an hour, and freely express your feelings about an issue in social work or social welfare policies.  I think some students exceed the time limits to write more polished reactions, but the point is to allow students to share their feelings and thoughts.  In this case, the thoughts you’re sharing are mainly paraphrases of recent reports on mass shootings and violence. This is one of the more horrible aspects of our culture and society.  In a huge country with hundreds of millions of persons, one can expect the occasional atrocity committed by a few of the worst people subjected to the worst circumstances, but America has way more mass shootings, school shootings, and acts of tremendous violence than one should expect.  There is clearly something in our culture that is creating this situation.  I know that some degree of reasonable gun control laws ought to have a slight impact on the situation, but the sort of total gun bans and strict regulation of guns that might work in other societies would not work here because of the Second Amendment, and my understanding is that cultural changes will be more effective than gun control laws (although both would help) in diminishing these acts of mass violence.

For the time being, gatekeepers (school teachers, coaches, school administrators, school social workers, etc.) who have contact with children are learning to recognize signs that might predict who will act like this.  In the case of the September 4th Georgia school shooting, it seems the family was aware that their son was troubled and potentially dangerous. The authorities seem to agree, since they have charged the boy’s father with crimes for providing the gun. Since I was a child, I’ve thought that middle schools and high schools ought to teach some basic psychology to students, and that such content is just as important as math, science, English, and so forth.  Children can learn about healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships, and learn about friendships and romantic relationships, with the lessons drawing from research on family dynamics, domestic violence, marital satisfaction, and friendship.  Academics have studied these things, and we have a lot of basic knowledge that is no more difficult to understand than quadratic equations and the laws of thermodynamics, which are still taught in high schools, I think. Clearly, children should learn how to recognize signs of persons who are maladjusted and potentially dangerous, and also learn how to create a social environment that diminishes the risk that such people emerge and go on to commit violent crimes and atrocities. There is no harm in learning about the darker side of human behavior if the emphasis is on learning how to recognize it and create a community that does not encourage it. 

Violence prevention is an important field, but the gains we’ve made in learning how to prevent violence are not given much attention.  On the other hand, we (as a society) do give lots of attention to specific acts of violence.  My impression is that the news about violence does not inform the citizenry about what is going on in society or psychologically, and so most people are left with an impression that people are just getting worse, or more people are randomly becoming crazy and violent.  Thus, narratives about the importance of law and order as a way to stop waves of crime are embraced by people hopeful that such a turn in policies will remedy the problem (that they don’t understand).  

Student writes letter to Senator Duckworth supporting HR-1585 (VAWA)

Senator Duckworth

8 South Old State Capitol Plaza

Springfield, IL 62701

Dear Senator Duckworth,

I am writing to you today to ask for your help in getting the Violence Against Women Act HR 1585 (VAWA) reauthorized for the most recent term. This bill, which was passed by the House in April of 2019, currently sits in the Senate a year later with no progress made towards a vote. While I understand that you yourself would undoubtedly vote to pass this bill, I also believe that you have the power to reach out to your counterparts on the Republican side of the aisle and impress upon them the importance of the reauthorization of the VAWA.

As a citizen of the city of Springfield and a Community Health Worker for the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, I have worked with many men and women who have been impacted by relational violence. The programming and protections provided by the VAWA are vital in decreasing the number of those incidents and in ensuring that those who are committing the crimes are fully prosecuted. The reauthorization of this bill every four to five years has ensured that new crimes and new groups that need protection are being added to the law. I understand that this particular reauthorization may be held up by the addition of the transgendered community or by the removal of the right to purchase a handgun by someone convicted of domestic violence, but I implore you to share the bigger picture with your fellow Senators. This law has had huge impacts including a decline of 72% in the rate of serious intimate partner violence against women and a 60% decline in the annual rate of rape and sexual assault perpetrated against girls and women.

From a personal perspective, as a survivor of domestic violence, I know and understand the importance of the resources available to someone as they move through and beyond a relationship of this type. I depended greatly on some of the programming that has been created from the funds made available by the VAWA and would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for this bill and what it has helped to create.

Senator, I understand that this is not an easy sell. I am sure that the idea of limiting access to handguns under any situation is probably something that feels like a non-starter with some of your colleagues. The bill does not suggest the limiting of all guns, simply handguns which are easier to purchase and conceal, and only for those who have already demonstrated their ease with violent behavior. That limitation does not carry more weight than the physical and mental health of the men, women and children who live in our country.

I look forward to seeing this bill passed with these new additions and the protections and funding for these vital programs redistributed. I trust in your ability to get this will be happy to continue to provide my support to your upcoming campaigns.

Student advocates action from the White House on mass shootings

   The President

        The White House

            1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

                  Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President Donald Trump,

I am very concerned about all the mass shootings we have been having recently, many of which are happening in schools where many innocent children are being killed. I know that you are also, like all feeling human beings, upset by these atrocities, and you and I are united in our desire to find a solution that will end these mass shootings.


I believe stricter gun laws would help lessen America’s gun violence. I think you can work with Congress to get reasonable gun control laws passed to reduce the mass shootings. In addition to gun control, there are other things that can be done with less political difficulty, and I hope you will advocate for Congress to send you laws that will do these other things, or find a way to use your powers as head of the Executive Branch to encourage other preventive measures.


 Studies have shown that the gun homicide rate is much higher in the United States than in other developed countries. For example, the rate is “six times the gun homicide rate of Canada, more than seven times that of Sweden, and nearly sixteen times that of Germany” (Lopez, 2018). This correlates with the fact that the United States also has the largest amount of privately owned guns. CNN states “The US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population, but holds 31% of global mass shooters. After controlling for variables such as socioeconomic factors and other crime, places with more guns have more gun deaths” (Lopez, 2018). 

This shows that gun deaths in America are highly over represented. Since America only accounts for 5% of the world's population, it should only represent 5% of the world's gun violence. Since this is not the case; however, we know that something is very wrong here. I know that the Second Amendment gives us the right to possess firearms. I know that we cannot change this right, but I believe that something needs to change in order to significantly lessen the number of mass shootings and resulting tragic deaths we have been suffering from in our country. In the first 52 days of 2018, America has already experienced 34 mass shootings (Jeffery, 2018). 

Please Mr. President Trump, instead of blaming these on the mental health of the shooters, we should focus instead on the item that is making these mass murders so easy to accomplish. I believe we should focus on having stricter gun laws in America. This will not only save lives, but will also ensure that fewer people develop trauma-related mental illnesses resulting from these shootings. A 2016 meta-analysis of “130 studies in 10 countries found that new legal restrictions on owning and purchasing guns tended to be followed by a drop in gun violence — a strong indicator that restricting access to firearms can save lives” (Lopez, 2018). America’s rate of death by firearm is increasing at an accelerated pace. If the United States changes the gun laws to be more like Australia’s, we can expect to see this number go down dramatically. In Australia, the “firearm homicide rate dropped by about 42 percent in the seven years after the law passed, and its firearm suicide rate fell by 57 percent” (Lopez, 2018). To accomplish this feat, Australia banned many guns and bought the privately owned, now banned, guns back from their owners. Another idea would be to require gun purchasers to receive a license or permit before they can acquire any kind of gun. After Connecticut incorporated this law, there was a 40% drop in gun related homicides and a 15% drop in suicides as well (Lopez, 2018). The evidence from Australia, Connecticut, and the scientific literature is conclusive; some forms of gun control and restrict gun access can reduce some types of gun-related violence.  Yes, gun control alone will not solve the problem, and we will still have persons who are murderous and dangerous, but no solution is perfect, and saying that an improvement like sensible gun control must be rejected because it only partly—rather than completely—solves a problem would be an act of political cowardice.  And you are no coward!

I believe stricter gun laws would help lessen America’s gun violence. Yet, gun gun control is not the only policy to pursue. I also believe that we need stronger preventative protection to help stop mass shootings from being carried out. More metal detectors in places like schools, clubs, concert venues, and anywhere that would have a large crowd, would ensure that weapons do not make it into the area. Maybe the Federal Government could use grants or policy incentives to help local police or states to supply these metal detectors. There should also be trained police on site that are ready to handle these situations, so any Department of Justice policies that improve police training and professional behavior would be welcome. Another idea, especially in schools, would be door stops that would prevent the shooter from getting into the classrooms all together. Can the Federal Government supply the modest grants that would help schools install these door stops?  Lastly, there needs to be a way, at least in schools, that can help target potential culprits and ensure that they get the help they need. In most cases, a troubled student will often have a turbulent history before committing a crime like this. Schools already provide free counseling to students having any kind of issues; we just need to ensure that those who need help actually get it before it’s too late. Maybe in next year’s federal budget we could direct more resources to these sorts of mental health interventions in schools to help out troubled youngsters before they become dangerous homicidal maniacs. 

Sincerely,

[Student in SWK-355 Policy and Services course]

References

Beauchamp, Z. (2017, November 6). A huge international study of gun control finds strong evidence that it actually works. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.vox.com/2016/2/29/11120184/gun-control-study-international-evidence

Jeffrey, C. (2018, February 21). Mass shootings in the U.S.: When, where they have occurred in 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.abc15.com/news/data/mass-shootings-in-the-us-when-where-they-have-occurred-in-2018

Lopez, G. (2018, February 21). I've covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren't a big mystery. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.vox.com/policy-and politics/2018/2/21/17028930/gun-violence-us-statistics-charts

Santaella-Tenorio, Julian; Magdalena Cerdá; Andrés Villaveces; & Sandro Galea. (2016).  What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?, Epidemiologic Reviews, Volume 38, Issue 1, 1 January 2016, Pages 140–157, https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxv012.  Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article/38/1/140/2754868

Here are some points I have in response to this letter:

1) Think of your audience.  Do you really want to cite something from CNN with this guy? Better to not give the source than to admit that the source is coming from a persons or institution this President hates.

2) You have assembled a good range of facts.  In an academic paper, more could have been presented, but the advocacy letter must be brief, so you had to be selective, and I think your instincts led you to pick some of the strongest facts from that German Lopez article.  The four articles you reference are all good.

3) The emphasis is on mass shootings, and of course mass shootings do grab everyone's attention, including the president's attention, so this is understandable.  The general problem of the violence in our American culture is a bigger issue, and as I think we demonstrated in class, the deaths caused by the daily violence of gun homicides and suicides is orders of magnitude more destructive of human life than the mass shootings.  I appreciate that your evidence showed how your policy suggestions might address the wider and larger problem.  There may be some good sense in approaching President Trump, because of his personal style and worldview, with policies set in a context of ending mass shootings, when the ultimate objective may be reduce the tens of thousands of deaths by gun homicide and suicide.

4) On this particular issue of gun control, there are powerful political realities that the letter might have recognized and addressed.  This president likes to appear as a tough guy, and also as someone who is independent of others, so maybe a mention of the vociferous National Rifle Association and its members and what the President might do regarding that group would be useful. You begin to recognize this when you admit that we have a Second Amendment, but you might have gone further in adding a paragraph about the Second Amendment, the rights of Americans to have guns, and how those facts might be reconciled with the need for the sort of gun control you are asking the President to support. Perhaps suggesting that weak politicians are afraid of the NRA, and the NRA may have noble ultimate objectives, but it is fighting for those good ultimate aims by badly opposing many worthwhile policies, and only a strong and brave Republican President would be in a position to help liberate his political party from the wayward misdirection of those NRA advocates.