Perie Assignment - Grade: A+ PDF

Preview

Summary

Laura Vandenberg/Gloria DiFulvio. On gun violence...

Description

1

Maureen Del Villar Cuevas PUBHLTH 200 : Intro to Public Health Dr. Gloria DiFulvio, Dr. Laura Vandenburg 10 September 2020

Perie: Gun Violence Gun violence, and the use of guns is a complex issue that is deeply rooted in American culture, and often not viewed as a public health issue. Every day 84 people die from gun violence, and wound 200 others, resulting in over 30,000 deaths per year and more than 70,000 wounded. (Lee, 2012) Gun violence affects people all over the country, as 58% of American adults or someone they care for have experienced gun violence in their lifetime, and approximately three million children witness gun violence every year. (Everytown Research, 2020) Massachusetts has one of the lowest gun death rates of all the states, with 3.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people. (CDC, 2020) Gun violence disproportionately affects black people. In Massachusetts, black people are 15 times more likely to die from gun homicide than white people, which is five times higher than the national rate. Firearms are also the leading cause of death for black children and teens, where they are 14 times more likely than white children and teens of the same age to die from gun homicide. Women in the U.S are also 21 times more likely to die from gun violence than women in other developed countries, as 53 American women are shot to death by their partners in an average month. (Everytown Research, 2020) Mass shootings are also a huge problem in the U.S.

2

Since the Columbine shooting of 1999 that resulted in 15 deaths, there have been more than 165 mass shootings, leaving 955 dead. (Luo, 2019) Easy access to guns is the major reason why gun violence has skyrocketed in America. The U.S has the highest rate of gun ownership of all countries, with about 88 guns for every 100 people. For gun ownership in the U.S only two criteria need to meet; legal age and to pass a background check. Federal law states that a person has to be 18 to purchase a shotgun or rifle, and 21 to buy a handgun. However, there are gaps in the background checking process. Gun dealers that are licensed by the U.S government must run an FBI background check before being able to sell someone a weapon. This is to prevent selling guns to people banned from buying a weapon under federal law, which includes people who are fugitives, are found incompetent because of mental illness, have been convicted of domestic violence, have a restraining order against them, etc. There are many loopholes to these background checks, because people can still buy a gun if the background check takes more than three days, and suspected terrorists can still buy a gun even with a thorough background check. Private sellers don’t have to do background checks at all, and guns are readily available online for anyone to buy, and even a license isn’t needed to own a gun. (Eaton, 2016) The Dickey Amendment was brought in as a response to efforts being made in the early 90s to begin treating gun violence as a public health issue. In 1992, the CDC changed its violence prevention division into a center that would lead efforts to reduce deaths and injuries from gun violence. Studies funded by the center drew attention to America’s gun problem, and it caught the NRA’s eye. The NRA proceeded to accuse the CDC of being biased against guns, and persuaded their many allies in Congress to take action. A provision was added in the 1996

3

spending bill stating that no funds could be used to advocate or promote gun control. (Rostron, 2018) Since 1996, the CDC is not allowed to use government funds to specifically advocate for gun control. This has pushed back the fight for stricter gun control laws in the U.S because there isn’t enough money for non profit organizations and associations to organize their own research. Gun violence in the U.S is an epidemic that has plagued the country for decades, and will continue to take thousands of lives each year until laws are changed.

4

CDC. (2020, April 29). Stats of the States - Firearm Mortality. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm

Eaton, J. (2016, June 20). 7 Reasons It's So Easy to Buy a Gun in the U.S. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/7-reasons-easy-buy-guns-america Gramlich, J. (2020, May 30). What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/16/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in -the-u-s/ Gun Violence in America. (2020, August 03). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/ Lee, G. (2012). Guns and Violent Crime: The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America - Credo Reference. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sagehcp/guns_and_violent_crime/0

Luo, M. (2019, October 31). Twenty Years After Columbine. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/twenty-years-after-columbine

Rostron, A. (2018, July). The Dickey Amendment on Federal Funding for Research on Gun Violence: A Legal Dissection. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5993413/

5...