Another major way in which America can put an end to mass shootings is more careful media handling of this sensitive topic. It has been shown that in the period following a major mass shooting that there is a spike in gun related violence, suggesting that one shooting event can inspire others in a contagious way. To solve this issue, America should put public pressure on media to be cautious not to sensationalize mass shootings, which runs the risk of inspiring more shootings. A similar idea is already often practiced by major media organizations when reporting details on suicides. “Following guidelines endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Mental Health,” states Tufekci of The Atlantic, “the media carefully …show more content…
For example, demanding up to date security camera footage in public spaces that often have a large volume of visitors. This proved to be an issue most recently in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting in Florida, where authorities struggled to locate the shooter because security cameras were on a 30 minute delay (Lam). Security flaws related to delays in or lack of security cameras can easily be solved by implementing policies and laws that require uptodate footage in high occupancy public places. For example, this camera policy could be enforced in schools at a district or state level, aiding in the prevention tragedies such as the scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Additionally, laws could be passed at the state level requiring cameras in all high occupancy government buildings or any business with a high occupancy of visitors such as theme park. Another security measures that should be taken to prevent mass shootings is designing buildings to make it much more difficult for potential shooters to commit a shooting. According to Architectural Digest, “these shootings always entail the gross misuse of firearms, but they also tend to involve an unexpected breach of a building—a movie theater, hotel, or school—so architects, too, are looking for ways to render buildings and landscapes better able to ward off, or at least mitigate the effects of, the threats