January 8, 2011 was the best day of my life. That was the day I’ve waited for and planned for a very long time. Shooting all those innocent people, especially Gabrielle Giffords, gave me such a rush. I can say that I finally made a name for myself and got the revenge I wanted. Why did I do this? The reason why is because Gabrielle is so stupid. I went to one of her events in 2007, and when I met her, I thought she was just very annoying. She thinks she can change the world, but actually I’m the one who can change the world for the better. I can remember her terrified face when I pointed my gun right on her forehead and pulled the trigger. If the police didn’t show up, I know I could have done more damage. But anyways, I’m proud of what I did. I enjoy putting fear into other people’s eyes.
The Tucson shooting occurred when a 22-year-old college drop out named Jared Loughner decided to go on a killing spree on January 8, 2011. His main goal was to kill a representative named Gabrielle Giffords at her meet and greet event in Tucson, Arizona. Loughner managed to shoot her in the head at a close range, but did not kill her. However, Giffords’ condition was “critical.” Although he did not reach his goal, “Jared injured thirteen people and killed six others which included a Chief Judge and Christina Green, a nine-year old girl”(“Arizona Shooting”). Many wonder why this shooting occurred and how it could have been prevented. Some people argue that Jared’s dangerous behavior was a sign of mental illness that was not attended to. In that case, spotting characteristics like Jared’s can be obvious if early signs of insanity are noticed and correct action is taken.
Jared Loughner’s hostile behavior was evident when he executed this unthink...
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... are unwilling to accept that they have issues and reject any type of assistance offered to them. Furthermore, I hope that in the future, people will lend a hand to someone that may have a mental problem because they might end up doing something very harmful, not only to the people he or she knows, but also to the people around them.
Works Cited
“Arizona Shooting.” New York Times. New York Times, 8 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2011.
Carey, Benedict, and A. G. Sulzberger. “Getting Someone to Psychiatric Treatment Can Be
Difficult and Inconclusive.” New York Times. New York Times, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 4
Feb. 2011.
Goldstein, Joseph, and Marc Lacey. “Man Charged in Tucson Shootings Had Researched
Assassins.” New York Times. New York Times, 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 4 Feb. 2011.
“Jared Lee Loughner.” New York Times. New York Times, 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2011.
Peters, Jeremy. "Months After Massacre, Obama Seeks to Regain Momentum on Gun Laws." New York Times. N.p.. Web. 3 Dec 2013. .
"New York Passes Major Gun Control Law -- First since Newtown Massacre." NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
10 May 2014. "Revelations About Adam Lanza's Mental Health Still Don't Explain the Violence. " The Wire.
Over the past years media has been overwhelmed with news about mass shootings happening around America and if mental illness is the primary cause of the violent act. On February 2014, Jonathan M. Metzl and Kenneth T. MacLeish published their article “Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms” in the American Journal of Public Health that addresses the issue that mental illness has very little to do mass shootings which is commonly used on the aftermath of the shooting
Vogel, Steve; Horwitz, Sari and David A. Fahrenthold. “Sandy Hook massacre: New details but Few Answers.”Washington Post 17 Dec 2012: Pro Quest. Web. 17 Sep. 2013.
On December 14th 2012, just 11 days before Christmas, an awful tragedy happened in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. This awful event left a lot of unanswered questions and rumors about that day. The reason for that is because the shooter killed himself after shooting twenty young children and six adults. This tragedy open the eyes of everyone; made you want to hug your loves one just a little tighter, appreciate what you still have and never take a day for granted. Even our president Barack Obama felt the pain of all those who lost their loved ones in this event. He insured everyone that he will do everything in his power to make sure a tragedy like this will not happen again. However, did you know that there have been over 44 school shootings since the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary shooting? I know as a future teacher and mother I want to make sure my children are safe in this world and even at school. I want to be able to make a difference in this issue and have some knowledge to have I can do that. The society should understand what really happen during the Sandy Hook event, the reasons behind why school shootings/violence are rapidly increasing each year, and have some knowledge about what we, as a society, can do to help in order for us to start seeing a decrease of these events.
“What Happened in Newtown, Connecticut? Eyewitness Accounts of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.” WXYZ. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
“Jared Loughner’s Path in Hours Before Arizona Shooting.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast. 12 Jan. 2011. Web.
Beck, Glenn. "Obama: Navy Yard shooting “ought to lead to some sort of transformation"." Glenn Beck The Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment. Mercury Radio Arts, 23 Sep 2013. Web. 17 Oct 2013.
have shown the firearm homicide and suicide rates in the US are several times higher than that of any other industrialized country” (Towers 2). The automatic reaction people have to mass shooting is talking about gun control and mental illness policies. Every time a mass shooting occurs both the people and the government go crazy trying to find a solution yet there is no solution. The United States needs to set up mental illness awareness programs to decrease the number of mass shootings.
On December 14, 2012 Adam Lanza, a 20 year old with asperger’s syndrome, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut . According to the final report by the states attorney’s office he got in the school at 9:30 AM in the morning and shot the principal and the school’s psychologist that went out to the hallway to check loud bangs they heard. He then moved on to class rooms where innocent children were learning and started shooting and by 9:40 AM, just ten minutes later, he took the lives of twenty six people, including twenty children age twelve and below and six adults, before taking his own life (State Report on Sandy Hook Elementary shooting).
Keefe, Patrick. "Making Gun Control Happen." The New Yorker. Condé Nast, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 May 2014.
"Second Amendment and Gun Rights." Second Amendment and Gun Rights. Paul Gossar, 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
people in this world will say that they don't want to work with a mental patient, because
"Gun Control And Gun Rights." US News. U.S.News & World Report. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/gun-control-and-gun-rights>.