Column: Gun violence in America is a problem and it's getting worse

Gun violence is a big problem in America because of the increasing death and injury rate.

I recently interviewed Paul Helmke from Indiana University on gun violence. Professor Helmke started getting involved with gun violence prevention in the ninth grade because one of his friends got shot due to a prank. Sadly, we are starting to see incidents like this more often because not enough is being done to reduce and prevent gun violence.

Gun violence is commonly referred to as violence including guns. To some, the term “gun violence” is incorrect because the guns aren’t harming people, the people are. Helmke describes gun violence as one of the things that impacts people in many ways. Murders, homicides, mass shootings, and suicides are all ways guns are used to harm people.

When a person is involved in gun violence, it can impact their physical and mental health. Not only is the victim impacted, but their families and friends can be affected too. Gun violence costs America about $557 billion annually, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. This amount is divided into medical, work-loss, political and criminal justice, employer and quality of life costs. Basically, America cannot afford gun violence.

In April, a shooting occurred at a bar in CityPlace Doral in Florida. The shooter was killed along with a security guard at the scene. Seven people were injured and two dead. This event shattered lots of people in the community.

The United States has the second most gun-related deaths and accidents in the entire world, according to the Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health. Events like this can affect how people act, their routines, and where they go. Gun violence affects the physical and mental health of victims and their families, but it also impacts economic growth and the natural trade that happens in the world.

Now, after reading about the gun violence that has been happening around us, you might be wondering why lawmakers and citizens aren’t pressing to start preventing and reducing gun violence more effectively. One of the reasons is because of the very rooted opinions of lawmakers and citizens, so strict gun laws aren’t able to be passed.

More downstream strategies are being put in place, such as enacting active shooter drills in schools and limiting the number of firearms for a single person, as reported by Ann Sheehan in “Gun Violence in Schools: Defining the Problem,” published in the November 2023 issue of "Pediatric Nursing." However, not enough research is being done about how to prevent gun violence and why gun violence rates are rising. While lots of downstream strategies are effective, I think we would have a better chance at preventing gun violence if more research could be done by the CDC or if more upstream strategies were put in place such as repealing the PLCAA (Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act) and initiating universal background checks.

Also, in the United States, the amount of guns is more than the entire population, children included. Spreading information on the risks and consequences of gun violence is extremely important to stop more shootings, murders, homicides, and suicides from happening in the future.

Gun violence is a big problem, and I hope that more people can see how it affects people and their communities. America cannot continue paying for all the damage guns cause, and our only hope is to start taking action now. We need to keep working to prevent and reduce gun violence so that future generations to come do not have to worry about this issue the same way we do now.

Kanaco Kitano is a student going into middle school in MCCSC.