Gun Violence In America

BY: TRISTEN L.

Gun violence in America is a major threat to the people. Laws should be passed to ban major guns like assault rifles and shotguns. In order to buy an assault rifle, the law says you have to be 18 years of age and to buy a handgun but the law should be you have to be 21, I don’t understand why that is the way it is. According to Every Town Research, “Every day, 96 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are shot and injured.The effects of gun violence extend far beyond these casualties—gun violence shapes the lives of millions of Americans who witness it, know someone who was shot, or live in fear of the next shooting.” Says Every town research. I think this is a real big issue in America.

Suicide is one of the most common uses of gun violence, according to Every Town Research, and this is one reason laws should be passed to ban guns. “Nearly two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides. The U.S. gun suicide rate is eight times that of other high-income countries.” Personally I was shocked that the suicide rate is so high. People who have been suicidal in their life shouldn’t be able to buy a gun. “Access to a gun increases the risk of death by suicide by three times.Gun suicides are concentrated in states with high rates of gun ownership.” There should be better ways of securing the way people obtain guns.

Homicide by guns is also a major threat in America, according to Every Town Research, and this is another reason why guns should be banned. “Since 2014, the number of non-gun homicides rose by less than two percent, from 4,864 in 2014 to 4,947 in 2016. But during those same two years the number of gun homicides rose by more than 30 percent, from 11,000 to well over 14,000. Put another way, guns alone accounted for nearly 98 percent of the observed murder rate increase between 2014 and 2016.” This increase in 2 years is a terrible thing because in just two years that is an extremely high increase. Guns need to be harder to buy and more restrictions need to be added.

Guns should be harder to get, but other people may think that people have the right to own guns no matter what. These people are ignorant because the gun suicide and homicide rates are extremely high and this is because people now can get guns to easily.

Gun violence is an extreme topic in America and it needs to be slowly reduced . The government should implement ways to slowly reduce the ways guns can be bought and sold in America.