Gun violence is being normalized. This gun violence can be seen in the number of mass shootings in the U.S. The “Gun Violence Archive” defines Mass shootings as acts of gun violence that result in four injured and/or dead, and they have been increasing at an alarming rate. According to the “Gun Violence Archive,” there have already been over fifty mass shootings in America in 2023 (Gun Violence Archive). There are solutions to this social epidemic, including changing the systems that let it happen and the involvement of those who want change. 

The first solution to gun violence in America is to change the systems that enable it to happen. In the United States, guns are extremely accessible. In Aaron Karp’s briefing paper, “Estimating Global Civilian-held Firearms Numbers,” for every one hundred citizens in America, there are one hundred-twenty guns. This ranks first in the world for this metric. In second place is Yemen with approximately fifty-three guns for every one hundred citizens (Karp). This is an alarming number and becomes even more alarming when considering how some of these guns aren’t attained legitimately and without background checks. In 1994, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was introduced as a way for the FBI to conduct checks on individuals trying to purchase firearms. But, thanks to the Charleston loophole, these background checks aren’t always conducted. Sometimes this system isn’t able to quickly identify if an individual is eligible to purchase a firearm. If the background check takes more than three days to complete, then the seller is able to sell the firearm to the customer. This is called the Charleston loophole, because an instance of this resulted in the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina (Dangerous Gaps in Gun Laws Exposed by the Coronavirus Gun Sale Surge). This is just one clear example of how government systems enable mass shootings to occur. Oversights like these should be unacceptable and addressed/corrected if America wants to make any advances in gun control. Pushing for change at the legislative level is the most direct path to making sure these issues get taken care of. There are, however, ways for average citizens to call for social change on this matter. 

If a citizen wants government policies that place more strict gun control on the population, then the first step is to elect officials that will do so. In the 2020 presidential election, only 66.7% of U.S. citizens were registered to vote and 61.3% actually voted (Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020). A mindset that has been sweeping the nation for generations is that an individual’s vote doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. This idea wouldn’t be an issue if it was a rare one not shared by many people, but, as seen from the data from the United States Census Bureau, this idea is shared by a large percentage of Americans and this creates an issue. Americans often complain about the government and its policies, but do nothing to change it. If Americans want change in America, then they have to be the ones to do so. Another way for citizens to enact change is to participate in rallies. There have been countless gatherings and protests throughout America’s history that have pushed movements and increased awareness for certain issues. One of the most prevalent organizations in gun control activism is the March For Our Lives (MFOL) organization. MFOL has held numerous marches and campaigns throughout its history that have had meaningful effects on the country. In their “2020 Impact Report,” it is stated that, since MFOL’s creation, there have been “180 gun violence prevention laws have passed in states across the country, including laws to expand background checks, tighten gun storage requirements, and provide funding for community violence intervention programs'' (Hogenmiller). This is a clear example of how everyday citizens have the power to make a change in their communities, government, and society that they live in. This is also just one of many organizations that are currently working and pushing for stricter gun laws. There are millions of people who see this social epidemic as a serious problem and work to end it. However, there are some who either don’t see it as an issue or have a clouded view of how to solve the issue.

Opponents of gun control suggest that taking away guns will actually increase gun violence.

They propose that the more people that have guns, the safer the whole of the country will be because

everyone will be able to protect themselves from individuals who have mal intent with their gun ownership.

This is a logical line of reasoning. However, the argument falls apart when looking at America compared

with other countries that have stricter gun laws set in place. In Katherine Leach-Kemon’s “On gun violence,

the United States is an outlier,” it is shown that when “[looking] exclusively at high-income countries and

territories with populations of 10 million or more, the US ranks first” in firearm injuries (Leach-Kemon).

The rate of firearm homicides per 100,000 people is 4.12. Compare this to Australia, Canada, France, and

Taiwan which have a rate of 0.18, 0.5, 0.32, 0.18, and 0.11 respectively. This point that America is worse off

with more guns becomes sounder with the given information and the previous information that there are

roughly one-hundred twenty guns for every one hundred citizens in the U.S.

Gun violence has become normalized in America and the increase in mass shootings is a clear indication of this issue. However, there are solutions to this problem, including changing the systems that enable it to happen, pushing for legislative change, and participating in rallies and activism. It is important for citizens to take responsibility and make their voices heard in order to enact change. Ultimately, it is up to the people of a society to make changes in society. They can’t let their lives be completely controlled by others, especially when it’s their lives at stake.