The Problem of Gun Violence and Proposed Solutions

尤小云++湯靖雯++丁希

【Abstract】Escalating gun violence in schools and other sectors of society today in the U.S. is a national scandal and a serious social problem. The United States has been suffering epidemic levels of gun violence annually， with reports indicating that firearm suicide and homicide are the fourth and fifth leading causes of injury-related death across all age groups in the country. Given the weightiness of this social problem， the aim of this paper is to provide a detailed statement of the problem of gun violence in schools and other sectors of society， and a depiction of the proposed solution（s） to this problem.

【Key words】Gun Violence； U.S； solution（s）

Problem Statement

To grasp the magnitude of gun violence in schools and other sectors of the society requires a critical theory of society focusing on the problems of the present age. Increasing levels of firearm violence today in the United States is a serious problem that needs immediate attention and warranted solutions. Gun violence claims over 30， 000 lives every year， and for every person who succumbs to death from a gun-shot wound， two others are wounded， meaning that every year， there are more than 100， 000 Americans who become victims of firearm violence （Muschert， & Sumiala 303）. Firearm ownership is rampant in the United States and firearm violence is epidemic. According to an article by Press TV published after the Oikos University School shooting in Oakland， for every 100 citizens in the United States， there are 90 guns， which makes the U.S. the most profoundly armed society worldwide. The article also notes that United States citizens own at least 270 million firearms of the 875 known firearms globally （Press TV 1）.

As I write this paper in November 2016， there have already been several well-publicized mass shootings and school shootings in the United States in the past few years. Mass shootings – defined by the FBI as a an incident of a single shooting resulting in the killing of four or more people without an extended period of abatement of tension by the perpetrator – have risen sharply during the past two decades in the U.S. As of December 2015， there were over 370 mass shootings in the country， where over 470 people were killed and at least 1870 more injured.

Proposed Solutions

Clearly， more rational policies about access to firearms must be one of the solutions to the problem of gun violence. Particularly， the government should enact laws designed to prevent people at high risk of committing gun violence from legally purchasing guns. This can be achieved by the implementation of better mental screening procedures or background checks， as well as well-established firearm registry. These proposed solutions are based on the a robust evidence base， which demonstrates that firearm policies directed toward individuals at high risk of committing gun violence toward others or themselves can be effective in reducing gun-related morbidity and mortality （Gold 394）. In addition， with regard to gun violence in schools， and since school shootings are likely to have multiple causes， there needs to be an all-inclusive solution that ultimately involves a restructuring of school and society， including better gun control， better mental health facilities and treatment in schools and society， and a school curriculum that involves peaceful conflict resolution， courses in nonviolence and peace studies， and teaching compassion and empathy.

Conclusion

Indeed， the problem of escalating gun violence in schools and other sectors of the society is a larger problem than gun control through banning guns alone. With the high statistics of gun-related morbidity and mortality in the United States， policy makers need to consider better solutions that can put to rest the problem of gun violence. The discernible and accelerating frustration， anger， and even rage in schools， colleges， workplaces， public places， and communities of contemporary United States society point to the need for better mental health facilities and monitoring of troubled individuals. In this regard， one of the proposed solutions to the problem of gun violence in the U.S. is the implementation of better mental screening procedures or background checks， as well as a well-established firearm registry in order to control access to guns. Additionally， the development of individualized （smart） guns can also work as an effective solution to the problem of gun violence.

作者簡介：尤小云（1996-），女，湖北荊州人，學(xué)士，武漢東湖學(xué)院經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)院金融學(xué)專業(yè)2013級本科生，研究方向： 金融學(xué)。