by Niyah Rose
Every day 100 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are 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 public shooting.
In order to illustrate the magnitude of everyday gun violence, Everytown has gathered the most comprehensive, publicly available data. Still, significant data gaps remain—a result of underfunded, incomplete data collection at the state and federal level. Filling these gaps is necessary to truly understand the full impact of gun violence in the United States.
Gun violence has become increasingly worse over the years and a large number are happening in schools. As a result there have been numerous deaths based on local and national news coverage.
Principal Brian Ellis said he hopes “the government could put something in place so children can feel safe going to school.” Detective Nigel Rose, a detective with the Baltimore police department said the reason he became a police officer was to give back to the community. “My whole adult life had been dedicated to service and I can’t think of anything else I could do that would be as fulfilling,” he said.
Ellis believes that stricter laws would decrease crime but still wouldn’t stop others from killing without a gun. Rose believes “citizens have the right to defend themselves, their families, and their property.” He also believes that “certain members of the community should not be allowed to bear arms. Those members would be anyone who has a criminal record for robbery, assault, murder, rape, domestic violence, and any type of terrorism’. Members of the community who have mental disorders should also should be denied to purchase and or own a handgun. I believe that you can never tell what would be a trigger for these individuals.”
Ellis supports armed police in schools. Detective Rose believes gun control increased because “ a lot of this has been in most big cities and it is related to drugs and drug territory.” Ellis believes people should clearly identify the diagnosis before giving people a handgun who have a prior mental health diagnosis.
Visit this website for more information on gun violence.