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Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

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My Thoughts On Gun Violence and Its Root Cause

December 3, 2015

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Personally, I’m not a fan of guns. My immediate association to them is violence, injury, and death – whether they’re used for protection or for harm. It would be a beautiful and perfect day to see the world without ammunition of any kind: guns, bombs, weapons of mass destruction. But realistically, that will never happen. Everyone knows that, even the least logical or most weapon-hating of us. So I’m not quite sure that ridding America of guns entirely, as some would argue, is the answer, but there has to be a way to make our lives more protected and valued, and the country safer, without taking such an extreme (read: impossible) measure.

I read a statistic the other day that said there have been more mass shootings in America this year than the number of days so far in 2015. There have been 336 days this year, 355 mass shootings. That’s more than one mass shooting per day this year. A number like that is heart-wrenching, infuriating, and perplexing all at once. Obviously, something needs to be done. It’s what your newsfeeds and Twitter timelines have been “annoyingly” buzzing about not just this week, but for months and for years, every time another absurd act of violence breaks out.

I understand both sides of the argument: it’s Americans’ right to tote their own protection if they choose to do so, vs. the “less guns means less violence” mindset. I can sort them out so that both sides make sense in my head, and I honestly think our government is in that same predicament of understanding the truth to each argument. How can they claim to protect citizens by eliminating their weapons, when some trustworthy, mentally-together citizens have done their due diligence to own a gun and protect their family from external harm? But then again, look at all the countries out there with extremely restricted gun laws and their respectively low crime rates. So then, maybe making guns merely less accessible in America is the answer.

Did you know it’s pretty simple to buy a gun in our country? You can get one at Walmart, and a lot of other stores (per CNN). You fill out a simple form for a background check that can take a matter of minutes. Then the store clerk calls up the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for a verification of your personal and criminal background. Less than 1 percent of those checked are denied. Or, you could always go to a gun show, where you don’t need a background check to purchase a firearm, according to CNN. (That was shocking to me.) President Obama tried to pass a bill in 2013 that would’ve made background checks at gun shows mandatory, except that little group called Congress got in the way and didn’t pass it. Maybe that’s all it would take – more background checks across the board. Only then there’s the issue, which I admittedly know less about, of illegal trading and black market selling of weapons.

My mom always told me growing up, “If someone wants to find something, they’ll find it.” You could have a criminal background a mile long, but I guarantee there are ways for you to find a gun somehow. Plus, did you know the guy who killed nine African Americans in a South Carolina church this summer, Dylann Roof, passed his background check to purchase a gun soon before his crime, even though he’d been arrested earlier in the year for drug possession and trespassing? Somehow he met the legal criteria regardless, and all that junk on his Facebook displaying racism would go unnoticed in the typical background check, too.

That’s one thing background checks cannot look into. While conclusive of almost all past criminal activity, they have no way of knowing a person’s mental stability. That is the bottom line here.

It isn’t about predicting which nasty criminal is going to strike next and taking away his or her gun; it’s about getting to those people who show signs of mental incongruence and offering them a hand before they have the chance to go to their local Walmart and drop $200 on a handgun. Stricter laws like mandatory background checks at gun shows (which I do actually believe would help) will make it more difficult for the mentally instable to buy their weapon of choice, yes, but it doesn’t take the idea out of their head that gunning down others will make them somehow feel better. They’ll find a weapon if they feel the need to do so.

I’m not writing this because I am certain about exactly what it will take to get those whose minds are ill help. Mental health is an expensive issue, and one far more complicated than even passing a new gun law. It isn’t black and white, and there isn’t a clear-cut answer that I can come up with. But I know there are medical and mental health professionals, much smarter people than I am, who have a clue of what our country needs to deliver better mental health to the masses, and to protect our citizens from the hurting people out there who feel the need to hurt others. I just want to continue the conversation.

I know people are fed up with the violence, and they’re fed up with the right-wing and left-wing answers spewed on social media that don’t agree with their own, but the definition of insanity is just that. It’s getting fed up with the same thing happening over and over and over again, and not doing anything about it. Let’s do something about it.

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4 Comments in Life, News

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Comments

  1. Kelsey says

    December 3, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    I AGREE. All these politicians saying “pray for the victims and families…” blah blah blah.. although prayer is great, in these circumstances its REactive to what’s already taken place. They need to be more PROactive in preventing these situations. Of course, like you and mom said, anyone can get anything if they want it bad enough. But can you imagine how much meth would be floating around if it were legal?! My point is if guns were banned or even just more difficult to obtain, chances are the numbers and statistics would drop. ALSO, the point you made on background checks, and how even those with a minor ding on theirs could still buy a gun blows my mind. Mental health is obviously a huge problem. I deal with it every day. Its the large elephant in the room that no one is taking accountability for and therefore not much is being done. At the same time, there’s so many people so great at hiding their mental issues until its too late. Basically, there are are a ton of unclear answers as to how to handle this, but ultimately SOMETHING needs to be done. In my opinion, stricter gun laws would be a great start. I could go on and on about this, but I think you’re absolutely right, we just need to keep the conversation going. Okay end rant.

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      December 3, 2015 at 2:14 pm

      I agree with that. At the very least, anyone purchasing a firearm in America should absolutely need to have a background check, and if there are even misdemeanors (especially in the last year or two), they should be further vetted and not allowed to buy one at that time.
      Mic drop.

      Reply
  2. Julie says

    December 3, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    Core values. Human value. Hate. Isn’t it ironic that since ‘mental health’ hospitals started closing beds long ago…was it the 70’s? We are intolerant of what we can’t ‘see’. The mind/body/soul connection has been crippled by repeated views of violence and carnage through movies, news, and video games. We have become insensitive to life…on every level. It’s a monster now. The flurries of hate and hurt are so big. You and I? We make a difference here and now. How we treat each other. Every day. In all we do. We can’t change the world. We can only change our own little space in our world. Jim Jeffries ridicules how Americans covet our guns. Yet it’s worth 16 minutes of your time. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=89d_1411198955 Today is our day to make a difference…right here. Right now. Hug someone. Smile at them. Be generous with your love. Tragedy works hard to separate us from God. Be diligent to stay close.

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      December 4, 2015 at 9:24 am

      That video is hilarious. And I agree, treating others with love reaps more love!

      Reply

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Welcome! I'm Audrey, and I adore connecting with female founders and telling their stories in a way that matters & lasts for years to come.

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I used to hardcore resist SEO in my writing work. I used to hardcore resist SEO in my writing work. 😂 It felt formal and stuffy and forced, so I just sorta... ignored it. 

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