Looking at the number of mass shootings that continue to occur year after year, nothing seems to be changing besides the fact that more and more people are getting caught up in the bloodshed in our country.
From innocent young children in public schools to young adults looking for a good time at bars and concerts, the populations that have been targeted span far and wide in whom has gotten caught in the crossfire of individuals wielding guns claimed by media to have a mental illness.
With arguments going back and forth between the need for stricter gun control and mentally ill individuals who need to be looked after more as an excuse for killing a group of people, someone needs to take the stand to bring this issue to the front of America.
Before we know it, these issues in states spanning across the country will not just be some tragedy that we see happen on the news. It will soon show up in families living in our neighborhoods and popular places of entertainment where people gather locally every day.
In a graphic provided by the Tribune News Service on U.S. gun shootings during the beginning of 2018, it was recorded that 154 mass shootings had already occurred within the first 180 days of the year.
Why is it that even with all this gun violence in America, our gun restrictions still don’t help keep our society safe from guns and those who wield them?
Those numbers bring up a pretty clear picture of how often mass shootings occur, regardless of where we’re from. No matter where you live, or which state you reside in, it could happen anywhere near you or a loved one.
This repetitive cycle of the media portraying mental illness as the real killer does little to help the victims who have been gravely injured and even lost their lives. Instead of going back and forth blaming various causes for the mass shootings, we need to focus on solutions to stop them from happening.
Be it stricter gun laws across all 50 states in the U.S. or a firm focus put on mental illness in schools at a young age, something needs to be done before we all suffer from gun violence in our homes and cities.