BY SHELBY WEBSTER, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD- Every day families receive the devastating news that a family member or colleague has died from gun related incident ranging from suicide to homicide for being a minority, including young children, to the LGBT+ community.
A video produced by Vox explains the state of gun violence in 18 charts that show the United States rate of gun violence in comparison to other countries.
“We have the right to bear arms without any license, registration, a given reason for purchase, safety training, or safe storage,” Vox stated.
Without any license or registration to purchase a gun people can use guns for violence for multiple different reasons, according to Vox.
“Whether it is because someone has something they want, or they don’t like a particular group of individuals, etc.,” Dawn MacAdams a Richland School District Two Lead Nurse stated as reasons for violence.
An article written by Ralph Ellis for CNN, reported that in a gay club in Orlando, Fla., Omar Mateen opened fire on more than 300 people, 49 were killed and many injured.
“ ...man who'd pledged allegiance to ISIS gunned down 49 people early Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation's worst terror attack since 9/11, authorities said,” Ellis said.
Gun violence is very controversial and has been occurring for centuries.
“Lots of people who dislike the ownership of guns believe that restricting guns from people can save lives but the it's not the gun that kills, it's the person pulling the trigger,” Kirkland Tanner a freshman at Blythewood High School said.
There are many ways to prevent the amount of gun violence victims in the United States.
An article written by Everytown for Gun Safety, explains the numbers of gun violence incidents in the United States during the past year.
“...on an average day, 91 Americans are killed with guns,” Everytown stated.
An article written by CNN, reported that multiple people have been shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 which had over 700 students attending the day everything went wrong.
“Twenty-six people -- 20 students and six adults -- were shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14,” CNN said
An article written by Jennifer Mascia for “The Trace”, reported the shocking reality that proves the effects of gun violence in the United States during the past year.
“At least 756 American children have been killed by gunfire this year,” Mascia said.
In the trauma centers of the United States there are countless number of cases of kids being shot whether by accident or on purpose.
“Having worked in a level I trauma center at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD for seven years, I have seen countless children affected by gun violence,” MacAdams stated.
With many children affected daily by gun violence parents begin to take precautions.
“With our kids we have decided to teach them gun safety, we do that mostly because if they see one they aren't so curious to what it does. So they are less likely to mess with it,” said Jennifer Puglia a mother of two who also has guns in her household.
