Mass School Shootings in the U.S.

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Recommended: America's gun culture

In the United States of America the right to bear arms gave birth to a phenomenon called the “gun culture,” the term coined in 1970 by a historian Richard Hofstadter, which describes America’s heritage and affection for weapons(1). Not only did gun culture become an inseparable part of American democracy, but also it is considered to be synonymous with independence and freedom, the most important values for American society. Even though the crime rate and murder rate in the U.S. is higher than in any other developed country, U.S. citizens oppose every attempt made to pass gun control legislation(2). However, it may sound like a paradox, but the crime level in the most liberal states, when it comes to gun ownership, is the lowest in the whole nation according to FBI statistics(3). In fact one of the major drawbacks of free access to weapons is the murders committed by juveniles. School shooting is the problem which origins are deeply rooted in the family background and the upbringing of children as well as in the free approach to carrying weapons. To understand the concept of gun culture one have to be born in the U.S. but living outside American society is significant to provide subjective criticism of the acts of violence such as school shootings.

The horrible massacres at schools are definitely not a new phenomenon; they are part of gun ownership policy. The first recorded school shooting occurred in 1764 in the present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, the attempt was a part of the so-called “Pontiac’s Rebellion” -the rebellion triggered by Indian tribes and aimed against British colonies. According to the story told by the one student who survived the massacre Indians constrained and scalped eleven students of the Pennsylvani...

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16. Great Dreams. “For students shot at Oklahoma Schools.” Accessed February 1, 2014.

http://www.greatdreams.com/gibson.htm

17. Reuters. “Boy, 12, opens fire at New Mexico school, wounds two students.” Accessed February 2, 2014.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/14/us-usa-shooting-newmexico-idUSBREA0D11Q20140114

18. NBC News. “Gunman went bowling before Arpahoe High School shooting, police say.” Accessed February 2, 2014.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/30/22112064-gunman-went-bowling-before-arapahoe-high-school-shooting-police-say?lite

19. Wikipedia. “Columbine High School Massacre.” Accessed February 1, 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Firearms

20. Wikipedia. “Cassie Brenall.” Accessed February 2, 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassie_Bernall

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