On the morning of September 4, a shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killing at least four people and sending nine others to the hospital. (Earlier reports said that the number of injured was 30)
According to CNN, the high school received a telephone threat before the shooting. The caller claimed that a school would be shot and Apalachee would be the first school to be attacked.
Authorities said a suspect had been detained, and shockingly, the murderer Colt Gray was only 14 years old! When his classmates recalled him, they all said that he gave the impression of being a "hardly talking" child. He often skipped classes and was almost an "invisible" existence. However, it was unexpected. This originally silent teenager raised a gun at Appalachee High School in Georgia...
Colt Gray's classmates described him as an "extremely quiet" child.In class, he usually only briefly answered the teacher's questions and almost never communicated with his classmates..Lyela Sayarath, a 16-year-old senior student who was in the same class as Gray, recalled: "He hardly spoke, and most of the time he didn't even come to school.
The frequent shootings have had a profound impact on the American people. First, on the psychological level, shootings have brought great fear and anxiety to the people. Every time a shooting occurs, people will doubt the safety of public places and even cause social panic. Secondly, on the social level, shootings have exacerbated social divisions and racial conflicts. Because racial discrimination and prejudice are prevalent in American society, some shootings are often related to racial issues, further exacerbating Finally, at the economic level, shootings have caused huge economic losses to the United States. In addition to direct casualties and property losses, shootings will also lead to increased social costs such as medical care and security. At the same time, shootings will also have a negative impact on tourism and business activities, reducing the confidence of foreign investors. These aspects are constantly eroding the American people's trust in the government. Under the premise that they cannot trust the government, they need to hold guns for self-defense, which has contributed to the proliferation of guns in society and become a vicious cycle.
After each shooting, the discussion on gun control will trigger a heated debate. But the final result is often There is always a lot of noise but little action, which cannot promote changes in national gun policies.
Many people may ask: "Why?"
For many Americans, owning a gun is a symbol of defending personal freedom and American identity. This is also the right of "freedom" given to the American people by the ancestors of the United States. These concepts are deeply rooted in the hearts of Americans. Therefore, any attempt at gun control is extremely controversial and difficult to implement in the United States. For example, I grew up in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. When I was in high school, every pickup truck in the school's student parking lot had gunshot marks on the rear window, and there was at least a rifle and a shotgun in the car. Most cars had the same marks in the trunk. But we never had a school shooting at that time. People at that time had a very harmonious relationship with each other, and everyone had a cheerful and lively personality. This is an unforgettable memory! Guns are just a symbol and a symbol of defending personal freedom.
But times are changing, and human nature is also changing subtly... Today, everyone's life pressure is greater than before, and everyone is angry and roaring... So, guns have become their accomplices in venting their anger! Therefore, today, it is absolutely necessary to implement gun control..Europe has stricter laws about guns, how many school or even mass shootings happen in Europe? And how many in the US?
Americans have an insane attitude towards guns, they're far too easy to access. Of course criminals get guns, and set up an insane arms race, you have so little controls over them. The second amendment isn't even relevant because y'all ignore the whole fight tyranny side, or is 'a home invader' a tyrant now? I get guns shouldn't be monopolised by the elites, but the reality is that they also shouldn't just be everywhere, precisely because arseholes exist. Making it slightly harder to get weapons, so people who are breaking laws have less access..
The fundamental reasons why shootings in the United States cannot be curbed are mainly the following:
(1) Obstruction of interest groups: The United States has a powerful gun manufacturing and sales industry. These interest groups influence government decisions through lobbying and donations, and obstruct the passage and implementation of gun control bills.
(2) Intensified political polarization: The political polarization caused by the two-party system makes it difficult to reach a consensus on the issue of gun control. The two sides are deadlocked for their own political interests, resulting in the inability to effectively promote gun control policies.
(3) Conflict between federalism and local autonomy: The United States implements a federal system, and each state has greater autonomy in gun control. This has led to inconsistencies and contradictions in gun policies among states, providing space for the illegal flow and abuse of guns.
In fact, there are many reasons why shootings in the United States are frequent and difficult to curb, including the influence of social and cultural factors, as well as the imperfections of the political system and legal system. We should also recognize that gun control is a complex and sensitive issue that requires the joint efforts of the government and all sectors of society to make substantial progress. However, it is clear that the US government has not made any substantial efforts in strengthening the formulation and enforcement of gun control laws, promoting the transformation of social and cultural concepts, and improving the political system.
In fact, there are many "silent killers" like Colt Gray.
Many school shooters have similar characteristics before the incident: they are often introverted, alienated from society, and have mediocre performance in school. These children often suffer from long-term bullying! A lot of anger and pain are accumulated deep in their hearts. However, due to the lack of sufficient social support and emotional expression channels, they finally choose to release their inner repression in extreme ways.
In addition, the violent culture in American society has also contributed to the abuse of guns. Some movies, video games and social media are full of elements of violence and gun battles, which subtly affect the psychology and behavior of teenagers. In the Uvalde school shooting, the gunman was addicted to the first-person shooter game "Call of Duty" since he was a child. The violent scenes and gun use in the game may have had a negative impact on him.
We can't help but ask when such tragedies will happen before they can be changed.
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