Ways To Prevent Mass Shootings

         The doors of Sandy Hook Elementary school bursts open, and with them comes a shower of bullets; a storm of death produced by twenty-year old Adam Lanza on innocent children in the Connecticut shooting.  As United States citizens become more aware of this tragic event, they think more about ways to prevent this from occurring again. Yes, the scene described is from the horrific incident that occurred last week, on December 14, 2012, one of the most horrible shootings in America's history.  Millions of people nationwide are wondering what action should be taken in order to prevent a shooting from happening again.
         Certainly, the level of violence depicted in movies and video games in the media may be partially to blame for acts of violence.  Television, especially, has come under attack from proper people for shows like CSI, Bones, and Burn Notice. When viewers closely follow these shows, they extract the violent messages that are shown and sometimes act them out. The news often centers its reports around homicide, rape, assault, and gang related cases. With these types of activities being promoted over charity and good will activities, it can be hard to see the difference between right and wrong. This could cause people to use violence as a source of attention, knowing that it is recognized by the public. However, with the emphasis TV puts on violence, the chance that the government will get rid of these violent programs is unlikely.  TV, especially action shows, are incredibly popular among people throughout the United States, and is one of America's top sources of entertainment.  Also, news is essential for people to become aware of the current events taking place, like giving people updates on weather patterns and safety procedures.
       In addition to taking violence out of the media, another option toward preventing shootings is allowing certain civilians to carry weapons. I agree that the use of weapons can be successful in certain situations.  In 1997, assistant principal Joel Myrick used a handgun to stop fleeing school shooter Luke Woodham.  Woodham, who had killed his mother that morning, murdered two students and wounded several others before Myrick, an Army reservist, rammed his car into Woodham's and then forced him to the ground.  Nevertheless, not all interventions are successful: Other armed civilians who have attempted to stop shootings have been left severely injured or have been killed. An investigation by Mother Jones concluded that no more than 1.6 percent of mass shootings were ended by armed civilians. Also, there can be killings in private, like how Woodham had already killed his mother before Myrick appeared.  In a setting where nobody is around, nobody - not even with a weapon - can stop a shooter.
        Another option, the most popular one, of preventing shootings is establishing stricter gun laws.  I understand that firm restrictions on guns could prevent many shootings occuring.  For example, on April 28, 1996, a gunman opened fire on tourists in a seaside resort in Port Arthur, Tasmania. By the time he was finished, he had killed 35 people and wounded 23 more. It was the worst mass murder in Australia’s history.  Twelve days later, Australia’s government announced a bipartisan deal with state and local governments to enact sweeping gun-control measures.  At the heart of the push was a massive buyback of more than 600,000 semi-automatic shotguns and rifles, or about one-fifth of all firearms in circulation in Australia. Violent crime and gun-related deaths did not come to an end in Australia, of course. But as the Washington Post pointed out in August, homicides by firearm plunged 59 percent between 1995 and 2006, with no corresponding increase in non-firearm-related homicides. This gun law obviously had noteworthy affects in Australia, however, here in America, things are different.  Washington DC, the only location in America where people are forbidden from bearing firearms, have the highest murder rate in the country; in fact, its nickname is the "murder capital" of the United States.  As for the mass shootings that have taken place, nearly all of them have been from diabolical people with mental disorders.  This being said, if guns were banned, these murderers would have found explosives, poison gas, or some other kind of weapon to create the horrors.
        Removing violence from the media, increasing weapons on certain civilians, and implementing stricter gun laws are not wise answers to decreasing shooting rates.  The most effective choice would be improving mental health care.  As said previously, the majority of shootings that have occurred in America's history have been from mentally ill patients who did not receive proper treatment. The three most prominent shootings in Americans' minds today are the ones in Connecticut (at the elementary school), Virginia Tech, and Aurora, Colorado (at the Dark Knight Rises movie).  Each of these were due to mentally ill shooters.  Pushing the blame onto weapons and media diverts the shooting situation from where the real need is: better, more comprehensive mental health services and facilities; addressing these issues in the person's infancy when they are first manifesting in childhood or puberty instead of assuming 'it's just a phase' or 'they'll grow out of it'; getting people to understand that they will not be punished or labeled weird for seeking help.  Mental health problems affect 1 in 10 children, so treatment of these victims need to be America's number one priority to prevent more shootings.  
           While not only improving the state of the individual, reconstructing health care will prevent mass shooting from happening in the future.  If the federal government does not take action in improving mental wellness issues, then the calamities that arose are going to be rippled down throughout people's communities for years to come.


Works CitedFerner, Matt. "Hickenlooper: 'Level Of Violence In Media' And 'Video Games' May Be Why Assault Weapons Are Used In Mass Shootings." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/hickenlooper-level-of-vio_n_2324686.html>.

Susmann, Dalia. "Poll Conducted After Shooting Shows More Support for Stricter Gun Laws." The Caucus Poll Conducted After Shooting Shows More Support for Stricter Gun Laws Comments. The New York Times, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/poll-conducted-after-shooting-shows-more-support-for-stricter-gun-laws/>.

Wickman, Forrest. "Do Armed Citizens Stop Mass Shootings?" Slate. Slate.com, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.<http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2012/12/16/gun_control_after_connecticut_shooting_could_australia_s_laws_provide_a.html>.