Gun Violence and Gun Control - Research Paper Example

Gun Violence and Gun Control Gun Violence and Gun Control There are a lot of controversial topics related to the youth of today, gun violence and gun control being one of the most important ones. In the wake of all the shootouts and resulting deaths caused by armed students on campuses recently in the United States, there has been a lot of heated debate on whether students should be allowed to carry guns on campuses. Proponents of allowing the students to carry guns say that if students are allowed to carry guns on campuses, they can protect themselves from potential armed juveniles who could shoot at them out of revenge or due to a mentally unstable condition. However, arming students could cause or enhance drug and alcohol use, mental health issues, gun theft, and accidental shootings. Certain restrictions and policies should be adopted by institutions and the government because permitting students to carry guns on campuses would cause more harm to them, even if it could possibly protect them from student shooters (Siebel 2008; Lipka 2008). Arming college and university students can be a bad idea for many reasons. The most important reason is the prevalence of drugs and alcohol abuse amongst armed students. According to a study, almost half of the United States’ full-time college students drink alcohol or take drugs at least once a month. This rate is much higher for college gun possessors. It is known that two thirds of the students who own guns also engage in excessive drinking. Moreover, drug and alcohol use by college gun owners increases the risk of them causing injuries to both them and others around them. An extensive number of youngsters between the ages of eighteen and twenty four are assaulted each year by students who have been taking drugs or drinking alcohol. Therefore it is obvious that if these assaulters would be carrying guns (‘as allowed by their college or university’), those assaults could be much more lethal (Siebel 2008; Miller et al 2002; Blumstein and Cork 1996). Another reason to not allow students to possess guns is the issue related to their mental health and risk of suicides. It has been found that youths between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five are at a high risk of developing mental health problems. This might be because of interpersonal conflicts, bullying, and many other issues which can cause mental problems such as depression. Moreover, statistics show that many students have suicidal tendencies whereas a startling number of students have committed and attempted suicide. Allowing students to possess guns and carry them on campuses would dramatically increase this number and the chance of suicide attempts succeeding, therefore increasing the number of casualties among students (Siebel 2008; Blumstein and Cork 1996). Permitting college and university students to carry and keep guns in campus dormitories, is likely to provide an excellent and tempting target for gun thieves. Guns are usually stolen from places such as homes and parked cars, which are much more secure and risky targets compared to college dormitories. Gun thieves can either come from within colleges or outside; as a considerable number of students visit each other’s’ dormitories, it is a piece of cake for any one of them to steal a fellow student’s gun. Worse, an outsider can pretend to be a student’s visitor, and easily pinch firearms from dormitory rooms. Moreover, as dormitory rooms are mostly small, places to hide weapons are very limited, making it easier for a gun thief to locate a gun in these rooms. Another point is that college students are unlikely to keep their possession of guns a secret; by bragging about their guns, gun thieves can smoothly discover potential targets. Once a gun is stolen, it is likely to be used in situations that can endanger students, if the gun is used on campus (Siebel 2008). The final risk factor of allowing students to keep guns on college and university campuses and classrooms is the high chance of students getting shot accidently. It has been found that guns in home are four times more likely to be used in accidental shootings, such as in self-defense. Moreover, a survey into unintentional firearm fatalities proved that about twenty-three percent of the deaths caused by these unintentional shootings occurred due to the fact that the person in control of the firearm was unaware that it was loaded. Such fatalities occurring on college and university campuses are likely to occur even more because of the nature of majority of students. Being reckless or during showing off their gun, students can press the trigger without knowing that there may be a round of bullets in it, therefore injuring (or even killing) a fellow student. Such accidents can even occur while threatening another student, even though the intention is not to actually shoot the student (Siebel 2008). On the other hand, many officials and students argue that carrying guns on campuses can keep them safe from vengeful or mentally unstable student shooters. An official of the University of Arizona states that it would not be harmful if ‘good’ students are allowed to bring guns on campuses. According to him, if students and staff members are armed with guns, it would prevent potential juvenile shooters from attacking ‘vulnerable’ college and university campuses. Even if mass shootouts or other such gun-related crimes do occur, students or faculty members could limit the potential casualties by firing back. Even students in hundreds of campuses argue that they should be allowed to possess guns on campuses. They say that they would rather fight back in self-defense and protect others, than just ‘hide under their desks’ (Lipka 2008). However, these reasons are not strong enough to justify the carrying of guns by students on campuses. For example, even if a shooter does start mass shooting on a college or university campus, law enforcement officers can handle the case. These law enforcement officers, who would be present in these educational institutions, are officially trained to handle an active shooter. If a student carrying a gun would intervene during such an emergency, maybe as an act of bravery, he/she would most probably get injured or unintentionally cause injury to other students, thus hampering law enforcement officers’ efforts. This is why it is better to let trained people handle such cases, instead of students who have had minimal training and exposure. Moreover, the high prevalence of drugs and alcohol use among college and university students can also cause problems; as it is, drug and alcohol users are a danger to themselves and others around them. Giving them a gun to ‘carry with them on campus’ would further worsen the situation and increase engagement in dangerous activities. It is known that the presence of guns at homes increases the risk of suicide attempts. Thus, presence of guns in campus dormitories would be no different; suicidal students can steal fellow students’ guns in their absence and use it on themselves. Therefore, more guns on campuses would increase the risk of suicides as well as gun thefts, which is why students would be much safer without carrying guns to colleges and universities (Lipka 2008; Siebel 2008 ). Due to the above reason, it is very important for colleges and universities to enforce certain programs and enforcements. For instance, educational institutions in rural, urban and suburban areas should start proving programs, such as anti-bullying and social problem-solving programs, to students. By having trained counselors, problems among students can be solved without the need of them having to go to the extremes of bringing a gun to campus to shoot at their rivals or problem-creators. Most students have the need to carry a gun or any other firearm because of the fear of being victimized by hostile students. Anti-bullying programs help bullied students to overcome their fears, and school officials can handle bullies effectively. Anger management classes can also prove to be very effective indeed. Such classes can decreases victimization and instill a true sense of safety among students. Special programs can help parents and faculty members to recognize signs of violence in students and take action in time. Metal detectors can also be placed at the entrances of colleges and universities in order to stop students carrying guns from entering campus premises. Penalties can also be fined to students found with guns on campus, thus discouraging them from bringing firearms to campus (Redding and Shalf 2001). States and governments can also take measures to restrict the availability and /or use of guns by youngsters. Gun control laws such as regulation of sales of firearms to juveniles can greatly decrease the availability of guns to students, thus decreasing violence. Strict rules, such as prohibition of possession of guns, a ban on under age individuals from buying firearms, and keeping a check on illegal markets (that sell firearms to youngsters) can also contribute to the decrease in gun violence. Moreover, rules on proper locking up of guns at homes and educational institutions can prevent gun thefts. These regulations can greatly decrease the amount of gun violence caused by juveniles and make colleges and universities a safer place for students as well as staff members (Redding and Shalf 2001). In conclusion, the situation of gun violence in campuses can get worse if students are allowed to carry gun on campus. This is because possession of guns can result in students causing harm to themselves as well as others around them. Some students and officials argue that allowing students to carry guns on campuses can protect them from potential juvenile shooters on campus. However, the risk to students’ lives is much greater if they are allowed to possess weapons. Certain rules, regulations and programs enforced by educational institutes and governments can decrease the rate of gun violence to a great extent. References Blumstein, A., & Cork, D. (1996). Linking Gun Availability to Youth Gun Violence. Law and Contemporary Problems, 59, 1, 5-24. Lipka, S. (April 01, 2008). Campaigns to Overrule Campus Gun Bans Have Failed in Many States. Chronicle of Higher Education, 54, 32. Miller, M., Hemenway, D., & Wechsler, H. (September 01, 2002). Guns and Gun Threats at College. Journal of American College Health, 51, 2, 57-65. Redding, R. E., & Shalf, S. M. (July 01, 2001). Legal Context of School Violence: The Effectiveness of Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Efforts to Reduce Gun Violence in Schools. Law & Policy, 23, 3.) Siebel, B. J. (2008). The Case against Guns on Campus. George Mason University. Civil Rights Law Journal, 18, 319-337. Retrieved from: http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/bcen/lap/articles/seibel-gmu-gunsoncampus.pdf Read More