School shootings are something that happen rather often here in America, that most of us seem to be getting increasingly (and alarmingly) desensitized to; a simple Google search could tell one everything they need to know about the most recent shooting, which, at the time of writing, was at a Dickenson High School. The first thing someone should ask in this situation is ‘why, exactly, is this happening?’, and there are plenty of people who would be willing to give a different opinion to why this is happening. Whether someone believes it is the effects of lax gun control, or violent video games, or even poor mental health care, there is no denying that this is a recent phenomenon. Perhaps to trace to the root of the problem, one should look …show more content…
There are plenty of rants about the planned massacre in Harris’ diary, but often motivation is unclear. However, he does mention it once, “ [S]omeones bound to say "what were they thinking?" when we go NBK [Code name for the massacre] or when we were planning it, so this what I am thinking. "I have a goal to destroy as much as possible so I must not be sidetracked by my feelings of sympathy, mercy, or any of that, so I will force myself to believe that everyone is just another monster from Doom like FH or FS or demons, so It 's either me or them. I have to turn off my feelings’ ” (Harris). In clarification, Doom was a 90s 2.5D First Person Shooter game by IDSoftware about a space marine who goes into Hell to fight demons. FH and FS are simply names for the different creatures that can be killed in Doom. This game, and other violent video games of the time, is often one of the things people will blame when they try to figure out why Harris and Klebold went through with the massacre. In fact, this event is what generally started the debate on whether or not video games made children violent. Plenty were quick to actually try to ban the game-- which pattern has continued with many different games, such as Postal, Manhunt, and Hatred most recently-- but these calls to ban the game never we acted upon. What did happen, however, was a change in the rating system of games. Back in the 90s, there was not a rating system in place for games, so anyone could get their hands on a copy of Doom; many children did, in fact. Due to the backlash of the ‘games make kids violent’, a rating system (ranging from E for everyone to M for mature) was put into place. Other than that, the backlash did not really change much, and it continues to this day. While many uphold it as the cause of the Columbine massacre, “...I know I could get shot by a cop after only killing a single person,
The Columbine high school shooting took place in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999. Two teens went on a shooting spree, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. The crime was named one of the worst high school shooting in U.S. history and later began a national debate on gun control and school safety. There was also a major investigation to determine the motivations the gunmen, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. There were speculations that Harris and Klebold committed this vicious crime because they were members of a social outcasts group and as retaliation for being bullied.
“Since 2013 there has been an average of one school shooting a week in the U.S., and 18 since the beginning of this year. This is a horrific thing that is getting out of control in the U.S. When a gunman killed 20 first graders and six adults with an assault rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, it rattled Newtown, Conn., and reverberated across the world. Since then, there have been at least 239 school shootings nationwide. In those episodes, 438 people were shot, 138 of whom were killed.it is time we bring awareness to this situation.
Even tho this is the most recent mass school shooting in the U.S right now... school shooting have been around forever. Since the columbine shooting there has been over 7 events of a shooter walking on campus and firing their weapons. Why are these happening at the rate that they are. Is it terrorist is?
Sternheimer begins with introducing us to a “first person shooter” game called “Doom”(214). With this multi-billion dollar game industry rising, she points out that there are three school shooting cases that the press emphasizes the shooters being “video-game experts” (215) to the game Doom, only making the “critics’ predictions” (214) about video games come true. Sternheimer begins by explaining how video game violence has become “folk devils” (214). This term allows media and politicians to “channel the blame and fear to remedy what many believe to be a growing problem” (214). Politicians are one of the main factors in targeting video games as the leading cause of violent behavior in teens, according to Sternheimer.
In the past two year, there has been 161 school or attempted school shootings which averages to nearly one every week. () It seems like every day there is a new article or story on another school shooting and because it is becoming such common news it seems just as if it was another static.(is this a run on?) Shootings are becoming more relevant in our everyday live than ever before and the government is taking no action on changing loose gun control laws in the United States. Now the schools and states are taking matters into their own hands by designing and adopting new programs to increase survival in case of a shooter. Schools are teaching young children to high school how to defend against a shooter and it is not a viable method of dealing with school shootings.
School Shootings: How We All Miss the Point... The aftermath of a school shooting is tragic, depressing, and causes hatred for the lives lost and the person who took them. Everyone, especially the media, tries to interpret why the shooter killed their victims, or why they felt the need to end others’ lives and their own. How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings, by Mark Manson, explains what and why these mass shootings happen. He starts by using examples of shootings and the murderer’s past.
School shootings are sadly not a new phenomenon in the United States, but in fact there has been many more than we would like. However, though we cannot fully comprehend what may be going on through the shooters head at the time, we know that there are several mitigating factors that lead up to the events of that day. Typically, the shooter or shooters were individuals who felt like outcast and had underlying issues that caused them to snap, whether that be depression or family issues at home.
The authors discuss steps such as point of entry on to school grounds to be limited and controlled, wireless panic alarms, strategically placed telephones, the relationship between school officials, local law-enforcement and first responders need to be recognized before any sort of disaster that occurs, and teachers and students need to become “situation ally aware” (Duplechain & Morris, 2014). The authors also mention that creating a school shooter’s profile can help create a safe school environment. However many of the school shooters that were studied came from model families, were honor roll students, enrolled in higher level classes and very few disciplinary records. The one warning sign they discussed that should always be taken serious is any time someone no matter who it is talks about killing, whether it be an animal or in fantasy.
He pressed charges against minors and companies for selling video games to minors. The case was brought up in 2005 but violent video games have started as early as 1976 with the release of “Death Race”. The case was argued in 2005 with Joseph Burstyn stating, “The government has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content” (Burstyn 564). Yee believed that violent video games, “could lead minors to aggression, and that such games are psychologically damaging to them” (Yee
The Columbine High School Massacre took place on April 20, 1999. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were behind the horrible act. While what they did was one of the worst shootings to ever take place in America, it was a well thought-out plan. The two had planted a small bomb about 3 miles from the school as a diversion so they could go through with their heinous crime a little smoother. The bomb went off at 11:14 AM and started a small fire which was quickly extinguished by the fire department.
Most games with violent aspects have other features that aren’t violent, or have nonviolent alternatives to complete objectives. Being violent is a choice, and some games even make a point to discourage violence, lest your gameplay be boring, bland, and rid of fun (see Undertale, Toby Fox). There is even a study by Harvard University to show that both the university itself and parents of the children believe, in majority, that video games do not impact a child’s psyche (study results shown to the left). These studies also back up my previous argument that “most of the young perpetrators had personality traits, such as anger, psychosis, and aggression, that were apparent before the shootings and predisposed them to violence”.
A nonprofit group that attempts to prevent gun violence called “Everytown for Gun Safety,” released a statement about school shootings. The organization claimed that the school shooting at “[Marjory Stoneman Douglas High] is the 18th school shooting in the U.S. in 2018.’” (Cox and Rich). In less than three months, there have been eighteen school shootings. This shows that schools are no longer a safe environment.
(Sub-subpoint 1) 87% of students said that the main cause of school shootings is because they want to level the playing field. (Alfred University) 2. (Sub-subpoint 2) For example, a 12-year-old from Nevada opened fire at school because he was bullied. He was called “an idiot, a retard and gay”.
On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. This was considered one of the worst school shootings to occur at that time. In the morning of April 20, before noon, the two juveniles had killed 13 people to include 12 students and 1 teacher; they also wounded another 23 people before turning the guns on themselves. This event would change the theories as to why school shootings would occur. (History)
On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20-year-old resident of Newtown, Connecticut, shot and killed 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary. Before going to the elementary, Lanza shot and killed his mother in their home. Once police officers arrived at the school, Lanza shot himself in the head, dying immediately (Jordan 2014). This has been one of the most fatal school shootings in the United States, second only to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, claiming 33 lives. The incident at Sandy Hook began at 9:35 a.m. and Lanza fired the final bullet to the back of his own head at 9:40 a.m according to the State’s Attorney Report (Sedensky 2013).