THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 1

Running head: THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE Chloe E. Field University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Spring 2014

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 2 Introduction: Americas Constant Attack on Humanity Humanity in the past few years has been questioned. From Colorado Movie theatre shooting to Sandy Hook, then the Boston Race attack, America cant get a break. Its like Gothem city, but no citizen wants to step up and take the role as the hero. CNN and Good Morning America can debate and gossip back and forth about teen suicides, guns, and violence in schools all they want, but no action goes behind anyones words. America is in need of change, and Im not talking about Obamas political campaign sign, but something that causes news anchors to struggle to find a good story. But according to their news reports recently, school and peer-to-peer violence are on the rise. In my paper I discuss and analyze if gun control is the answer to reoccurring types of violence. I grew up going to an unstable school, full of violence and potential threats to my safety. The local news team practically thrived off of our stories and the school hired more security guards than teachers. Ive always wondered what causes violence and how easily it is to give weapons to the wrong types of people. One of my well-known classmates ended up on the news for bringing a gun to my school, but left to go to the University down the road and shot someone. Almost as traumatic, the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system lost four students in one year to suicide. This doesnt make my hometown less safe than any other town. You cant

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 3 outrun violence, every city/town/country is full of it, but some handle it better. My stance is that America is in need of a safety reform and is gun control the solution?

Literature Review: The Research Copycat Effect This happens when people reflect an exact mirror image of what they see into their own lives. Brandishing When you let someone know that you are a threat by showing them something that is intimidating. American Feudalism The word feudalism means that when you serve and obey the system you receive protection in return. The American way of this term probably means protection of rights.

After extensive research on topics such as, teen suicides, murder, school shootings, and gun laws, I have been able to form my opinion of the matter and collectively gather my thoughts and info into specific topics. Before I can dive in and express my thoughts, it only makes sense to make sure my readers understand the reason behind my opinions and first give thorough info found in my research with all opinions aside. Two articles Ive come across support both sides of

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 4 the gun issue. Lott supports the idea of guns and thinks that guns create fewer crimes by the act of brandishing (2013). Goss on the other hand thinks we should have stricter laws than the ones already set in place. One of the most controversial subjects in America is Gun Laws. I say this because according to Goss this topic gets more controversial after a traumatic event and then slowly dies down because no action takes place. Death caused by irresponsible use of guns in America is higher than any other nation (2010). However, its not citizens who cause these deaths, but authorities with 330 innocent deaths per year (Lott, 2013). Although, there was still a high number of deaths committed by citizens, 30 per year. The reason that America looks so bad with these relatively low death rates is because every other well established country has regulations when it comes to guns. I see a lot of debates and talk over banning guns over facebook and the media, but no one puts action behind their words! Goss says that it is because the opponent has brought their side to the policy reformers before the other side could. The American Feudalism System appreciates those who start from the ground up meaning that whoever approaches the American system first with their idea of reform, wins. I like the thought that even just showing your attacker that you own a gun can save your life. Thats the act of brandishing; there is power in the gun itself (Lott, 2013). Only a few states in the US have restrictions on guns like safe storage criteria, 21 and up, gun safety training, and waiting periods (Lewiecki, 2013). Now that weve looked at the overall topic of crime in America, we really need to look at the person behind the gun. At first, when I see a school shooting on the news or any random act of violence, I think, That person must be mentally insane. However, Kimmel disagrees by saying that in order to figure out why this happened, we shouldnt look at the cognitive state of

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 5 the shooter, but the story and life of the attacker (2003). Going into the mind of a suicidal person, Lewiecki explains that most suicides are spontaneous and irrationally thought out. Without the access of a lethal weapon, a person might use the substitution method (find a alternative way to kill themselves like overdose), which has a higher survival rate than that of a gun (2013). Also, relating back to project one the person causing the violence may have not fit in an accepted discourse community (Field, 2014). This statement connects back to Kimmels argument how most school shootings are caused by boys whose masculinity was threatened. Therefore, it isnt how these boys are psychologically insane to shoot up a school, but are acting out in violence to, over conform to a particular normative construction of masculinity (Kimmel, 2001). Every boy wants to hit puberty so hard that they will have a deep, gravel, and voice to match their six foot, muscular, figure. It doesnt always happen this way and thats why guys feel the need to defend their masculinity. The term, masculinity, tells men how they are supposed to look, act, and be and to respond with violence if threatened helps build up that manly characteristic that they apparently lacked. After I researched about the perpetrator, I wondered about the reasons behind such acts of crime. Many factors can contribute to violence. Stack states one of them, which is media. People will always have role models, there isnt really a perfect sense of originality anymore because you had to get inspiration somewhere. Some people take this to the extreme and mirror image exactly what they see. This is called copycat effect and its becoming a problem especially when it comes to suicide. Vast media reports of the topic have been known to raise these effects. Seeing suicidal deaths of stars like Marilyn Monroe, reading murderous books, and watching local news reports on violent topics is how citizens respond. People see it as a

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 6 way of getting out of a tough situation and the solution is violence (Stack, 2003). Another side of violence is through revenge. 20% of all homicides are caused by the motive of revenge and shockingly enough, 60% of school shootings are caused by this incentive (McCullough, 2010). When someone is treated with violence, they will retaliate in the same way, but with more aggressiveness. Katz throws her factor way back to child upbringing. If parents dont give their kids enough attention this can spark jealousy, envy, and even harmful retaliation to certain factors like revenge (1979). These are just a few factors that can lead to violence in American communities.

Entering the Conversation: Is Gun Control the Answer? I tried to come into this project totally biased and research both sides of the argument equally, and full heartedly. Gun controlyoure either for it or against it. However, Im in between. Id like to keep guns around only for the reason of brandishing discussed above. Many defensive cases go unreported because the sight of a gun waves off predators. Although, I disagree with Lott trying to put the blame on the authorities, because 1: they are approached with more threatening situations than citizens and 2: They are more likely to shoot since they are comfortable with a gun. This may seem like Im pro-gun, but Im not! Brandishing a gun is great, but only in the right hands. Criminals can brandish a gun too and get away with crime. For example in project one based on the T.V series One Tree Hill, Jimmy had a gun to scare the school and hold hostages, but didnt shoot any students (Field, 2014). I believe that regulations should be put in place to imitate other countrys policies that have been successful. As mentioned

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 7 before, only a few states in the US have restrictions on guns like safe storage criteria, 21 and up, gun safety training, and waiting periods (Lewiecki, 2013). These are great conditions but arent enough to end crime. To lower the amount of violence through suicides, we should also have strict restrictions on hand guns, the number one used weapon and gun used to harm oneself, according to Lewiecki. Van Kesteren backs this up by saying the US is the number one country whose most citizens own a handgun probably because it is so easy to obtain one. Close contact crimes are on the rise because of this and oddly enough long guns do not raise victimization, proving my point (2014). Also, America should enforce the waiting period better. Most of the time suicide is spontaneous and not thought through. If a suicidal victim can purchase and bring home a gun in the same day, theyll carry out the act. However, the waiting period makes the buyer wait for papers to get approved and the gun to get fully registered. Because of this, suicidal thoughts will either pass or theyll resort to a less successful way of killing themselves and could survive. And what is the number one type of gun used to harm oneself? A handgun. Guns will never fully be out of the hands of American citizens, but I believe that they should be in the right ones.

Conclusion: So What? Many factors can contribute to violence: the media, gun laws, revenge, bullying, poor upbringing, and masculinity. However, we cant control natural human tendencies to act out in anger or control every negative aspect in someones life. It all comes down to regulations and making sure the right type of gun ends up in the right hands. But even the little things make the biggest difference and America needs to focus on the media. I already discussed the copycat

THE SOLUTION TO VIOLENCE | 8 effect and the reasoning behind how media influences violent behavior, but what do we need to do about it? To connect this with gun regulations, media can broadcast the new changes, once changed of course, and do coverage of gun safety. Also, instead of announcing the news of a school shooting or a suicide in the area, offer information about how a person can seek help with the same violent tendencies. The media has the power to influence lives and spread good news, yet it focuses on the downsides of life and offers nothing but gossip about it. I interviewed multiple people in my hall, family, and church to see their stance on the issue. Not one person was extremely for or against gun control, and all were in-between like me. I asked what could be the solution and do they know the regulations of purchasing a gun. A lot of empty answers is what I got back because not everyone is informed on what gun laws are in place and the solution is difficult to come up with. Maybe thats why there hasnt been something set up yet! People arent informed enough of what is missing from the regulations and cant take a strong enough stance to change anything. The combo of the right type of gun regulations on handguns and mass media has enough power to save lives. Lets overrule Americas Feudalism system and tell the government what needs to change.

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Bibliography Field, C. (2014). Figured world: One tree hill. Unpublished manuscript, UNC Charlotte, . Goss, K. A. (2010). Disarmed: The missing movement for gun control in America. Princeton University Press. Chicago Katz, L. G. (1979). Brotherhood/Sisterhood Begin at Home: Notes on Sibling Rivalry. Kimmel, M. S., & Mahler, M. (2003). Adolescent masculinity, homophobia, and violence random school shootings, 1982-2001. American behavioral scientist, 46(10), 1439-1458. Lewiecki, E. M., & Miller, S. A. (2013). Suicide, guns, and public policy. American journal of public health, 103(1), 27-31. Lott, J. R. (2013). More guns, less crime: Understanding crime and gun control laws. University of Chicago Press. McCullough, M. E., Kurzban, R., & Tabak, B. A. (2010). Evolved mechanisms for revenge and forgiveness. Understanding and reducing aggression, violence, and their consequences, 221-239. Stack, S. (2003). Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 57(4), 238-240. Van Kesteren, J. N. (2014). Revisiting the Gun Ownership and Violence Link A Multilevel Analysis of Victimization Survey Data. British journal of criminology, 54(1), 53-72. Chicago

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