Gun Control? More like out of control What is a mass shooting? Mass shootings has not been defined by our government, but a loose definition is four or more people wounded or killed. The government not defining mass shootings makes one think that maybe America is avoiding the topic of guns and gun control. Many different views are taken when it comes to gun control and mass shootings. Some believe that the only cause is the guns themselves. Others believe that it is gun control laws, yet "by a more than 2-to-1 margin, more people say mass shootings reflect problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems rather than inadequate gun control laws (63 percent to 23 percent)" (Craighill and Clement 2). Regardless, many people …show more content…
One solution that has been tested is background checks, but "background checks have proven to be more contentious in practice than in principle" (Fingerhut 2). The obvious solution is to change gun control laws. Not only is it the most evident, it is also the hardest to accomplish. The view on what the laws should be, or even if they should be changed at all, are at such odds that no matter what is changed someone will try to combat it. Another solution suggested is to look at mental health issues and "ensure accessible, high quality, culturally competent and widely accessed mental health treatment in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act" ("Gun Violence"). An additional solution proposed is everyone in America becomes educated on gun safety. This is founded on the fact that children are able to get a hold of guns and accidentally fire them. Many people have died at the hands of toddlers. In fact, "'during the first six months of this year, minors died from accidental shootings — at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults — at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate'" (Holley 2). Other answers have been proposed and attempted, but have not been successful such as childhood trauma reduction, closing illegal gun sales online and in person, and toughening background