By Brandon Sapienza, Staff Writer
Another mass shooting has brought the heart of America to its knees as the nation mourns the loss of 17 innocent people who studied and worked at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
As per the usual routine that begins after a tragedy like this, the blame is pointed towards the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment and to the National Rifle Association.
Statistics from Mother Jones indicate that banning assault weapons would have little to no effect on preventing mass shootings. Between 2005 and 2012, after an assault ban was put into place by the Bush administration, there were 27 mass shootings. The number of shootings actually went up from the previous decade from 1995-2004. If gun control is supposed to prevent tragedies in Florida from reoccurring, shouldn’t the number of shootings go down?
Gallup survey results indicate that anywhere between 22 to 29 percent of Americans own nearly all the guns in America. Despite these shocking totals, rarely do people ever hear that these gun owners committed such horrors. This is because the owners of these guns are typically middle-aged men and women who don’t intend to harm others with it. This is not to say that young people can’t be trusted with a gun, but it says a lot about what has happened over the last number of decades that would cause more young people to commit such atrocities.
While I will agree that no one has a justifiable reason for owning an AR-15 or any weapon of its kind, the problem goes beyond the gun and is actually related to the mental state of our country’s citizens.
The youth of America lives in a world filled with violence, hatred, and anger. Whether it is directed at our politicians or each other, the country has become a bad place to live for millions of young people. Growing up in a society filled with behavior like this is not an ideal place for any child to grow up in. Over time, some person is bound to translate his or her negative surroundings into anger and subsequently carry out something like what happened in Florida.
Yes, there is an issue with guns in this country. However, it is not as prevalent as the people problem. This growing problem of mass shootings attributed to mental illness needs to be used as a way to foster positive energy to the youth of America so that we can do our very best to prevent mass shootings from continuing to occur.
Photo courtesy of newsweek.com
