Mass Shootings

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Jamie Guttenberg went to school in Parkland, Florida expecting the usual to happen; however, everything except the usual occured. On that particular day, 17 people, including her, perished in one of the worst mass shootings this country has ever seen. Unfortunately, the event was not abnormal. Shootings similar to Parkland have been happening consistently throughout the years and have only been getting worse. Semi-automatic weapons, such as the Sig Sauer MCX and the AR-15, have been found in the hands of the killers for many years prompting many people to speak out. The rapid fire capability of the guns are behind the staggering death tolls of every mass shooting. These shootings also occur frequently due to their easy obtainability. As a result, …show more content…
According to CNN, in the article “Deadliest Mass Shootings in Modern US History Fast Facts,” published February 19, 2018, there have been three mass shootings since 2017 that have killed more than 15 people. When the deaths in the Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, and Parkland shootings were totaled, the number reached 100. This death toll was reached as a result of the power the guns are capable of. Although semi-automatic weapons seem like ordinary weapons, they are actually lesser versions of military grade rifles. In the article, “Here’s What You Need to Know About the Weapons of War Used in Mass Shootings,” published in the Huffington Post February 14, 2018, it stated that, “[The] weapons are designed to fire off bullets very, very quickly….[and] could fire off as many as 45 rounds in one minute” (Wing, et al). This means that if the shooter is accurate, 45 five people could be killed with one gun before any officers had a chance to react to the situation. However, there have been shootings where more than 45 people have been killed. This was possible because the guns can easily be reloaded after the round is depleted. “Magazines containing fresh ammunition can be swapped out in a matter of seconds,” the article also stated. These characteristics are responsible for all of the deaths in the recent shootings. If the weapons …show more content…
Of the three recent mass shootings, all of the gunmen used weapons that they had purchased legally before the event. According to the article “How They Got Their Guns,” published in the New York Times on February 16, 2018, all of the shooters had weapons “bought legally with a federal background check” (Buchanan, et al). Before the Las Vegas shooting, Stephen Paddock was stockpiling weapons and did not prompt federal concern. After the shooting in Sutherland Springs, it was found that Devin Kelley was still able to purchase his weapon of choice even though he was reportedly violent and was discharged from the Air Force as a result of past actions. The Parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was also able to purchase his gun with a history of violence and was allowed to keep the gun after the FBI was notified of his unpredictable behavior. These shooters prove that it is too easy to obtain a gun as their history did not prevent them from failing background checks. In addition, the age that people can own semi-automatic weapons is another reason why they are consistently found in the hands of shooters. In some states, the buyer has to by older to buy a handgun than a semi-automatic weapon. In the article “In Florida, an AR-15 is Easier to Buy Than a Handgun,” the author, Richard A. Oppel Jr., found that the minimum age that someone can buy an AR-15 is 18 years. These
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