The series of mass killings in the United States have escalated in recent years with the most some tragedies witnessed in Aurora, contagion movie theatre, the Newton, and CT schools in the year 2012 ( Gomez-Lievano et al.,2015). The rampancy of the killings has called for the intensification of societal strategies on trying to comprehend the dynamics and resources that propagate such events. Psychiatrists are tirelessly working to understand the reason why mass shooters are tempted to carry out mass killing undoubtedly without caring about the aftermath crisis. There are also attempts to assimilate their statistical data to predict futures massacres (Osuna, 2019).
Research by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies has indicated that guns contribute majorly to mass violence and mass killings in many states (Wallace, 2020). This research supports the report by the national institute of justice, which indicated that about 70% of all murders in 2011 involved the use of firearms. Evidence has also shown that when the tensions of mass violence are high, people tend to develop fear for safety due to a lack of confidence in the surrounding environment and security agencies (Webster, 2017).
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For a long time, hypothesis that arises in the aftermath of every mass killing in almost every state in the United States has stipulated that they are acts of mentally deranged loners ( Metzl et al., 2015). For instance, after the tragic shooting incidence at a school in Newton, Connecticut, Adam Lanza, the shooter, was later diagnosed with undetected Schizophrenic disease. Psychiatric histories have indicated that a significant percentage of perpetrators of mass killings since 1970 manifested symptoms of paranoia, delusions, and extreme levels of depression before carrying out their violent acts. Other shooters like Elliot Rodger suffered from Asperger's disorder and prescribed immediate psychotropic mediation. However, it has also established that complete jurisdiction over gun ownership has insignificant impacts on preventing future threats of mass attacks (Almeida, P. D. (2016). This statement is supported by Anne Coulter who provocatively proclaims that guns do not kill people, but the psychos do.
The consequences of mass violence extend far beyond individual interests and results in long term adverse effects on the wellbeing of the affected individuals and community (O’Connor Duffany et al., 2017). Most of the survivors face trauma and show the consistency of posttraumatic disease even after intense medical care and prolonged inpatient hospitalization. Among other risks include the fact that children witnessing the execution of community violence are triggered to embrace aggression as a way to deal with anxiety and depressions resulting in antisocial behavior. This incidence propagates the cycle of violence such as substance abuse, adolescent delinquency among other health risks such as smoking and suicidal attempts at the brink of adulthood (Lankford et al., 2018).
The current study in the United States concerning gun sales and weaponry in matters regarding shooting massacres has stressed the reconceptualization of how the federal government runs and moderates the firearm licensing board (Wallace, 2015). Understanding the pivotal role of the governing political parties, mass killings, and proportions of gun sales generate the creation of a much coherent policy in addressing the recurring topic brought about by these tragic events (Richardson, 2015). There is also a need to formulate guidelines basing on empirical pieces of evidence lingering around standard security measures.
Overall, research indicates that exercising total control over gun ownership poses minimal effects on dealing with mass shootings. More than eight cases involving mass shootings have suggested that victims used firearms belonging to their relatives to carry out their malice (Wintemute et al., 2017). Case studies have shown that perhaps the most convenient way to deal with mass killings is by deploying psychiatric expertise to enhance the discourse of the United States about the most intricate socio-economical anxieties and misleading opinions that make people fear each other in the first place (Wombacher, 2018). Officers in the public health sector and community activists and law enforcement authorities, including all the sentinels, are bound to promote the underlying infrastructural that foster real and perceived notions of mortal phobia.
References
Almeida, P. D. (2016). The role of threats in popular mobilization in Central America. In Social Movement Dynamics (pp. 115-136). Routledge.
Krouse, W. J., & Richardson, D. J. (2015). Mass murder with firearms: Incidents and victims, 1999-2013.
Lankford, A., & Madfis, E. (2018). Do not name them, don’t show them, but report everything else: A pragmatic proposal for denying mass killers the attention they seek and deterring future offenders. American behavioral scientist , 62 (2), 260-279.
Metzl, J. M., & MacLeish, K. T. (2015). Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms. American journal of public health , 105 (2), 240-249.
Osuna, M. J. R. (2019). Mass Shootings and Gun Sales: A Study on the Influence of Red and Blue Power (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida).
Santilli, A., O’Connor Duffany, K., Carroll-Scott, A., Thomas, J., Greene, A., Arora, A., & Ickovics, J. (2017). Bridging the response to mass shootings and urban violence: exposure to violence in New Haven, Connecticut. American journal of public health , 107 (3), 374-379.
Studdert, D. M., Zhang, Y., Rodden, J. A., Hyndman, R. J., & Wintemute, G. J. (2017). Handgun acquisitions in California after two mass shootings. Annals of internal medicine , 166 (10), 698-706 Chicago
Towers, S., Gomez-Lievano, A., Khan, M., Mubayi, A., & Castillo-Chavez, C. (2015). Contagion in mass killings and school shootings. PLoS One , 10 (7), e0117259.
Wallace, L. N. (2015). Responding to violence with guns: Mass shootings and gun acquisition. The Social Science Journal , 52 (2), 156-167.
Wallace, L. N. (2020). Gun Ownership and Gun Purchasing: Before and After Mass Shootings. In Handbook of Research on Mass Shootings and Multiple Victim Violence (pp. 339-356). IGI Global.
Webster, D. W. (2017). The true effect of mass shootings on Americans. Annals of internal medicine , 166 (10), 749-750.
Wombacher, K., Herovic, E., Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2018). The complexities of place in crisis renewal discourse: A case study of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management , 26 (1), 164-172.
