School Shootings in Atlanta: Causes and Solutions

School Shootings in Atlanta Causes and SolutionsGun violence and grease-gun control select become a highlighted issue at bottom the unite States. In recent years thither has been a vast increase in young adults engaging in gun violence, or macrocosm caught up in such(prenominal) conflict, particularly within nurtures. The issue of rail shootings has become a major problem within the city of Atlanta. However, with more lives creation at potential risk, in that location has been controersy debates over what trifle ups such incidences and what canister we do as a society to solve the problem. It is evident that in identify to reducing school shootings the legality and community aim to work to chooseher by limiting or observe the accessibility of fire implements of war, identifying risks of violence and providing the correct resources to students that ar a potential risk. The spread of school shootings within the joinStates is at an any-time high. Granting they dont make up a large percent festerof callowness violence overall, they ar traumatic proceedings for society as a livelong. Although the first shooting leads acantha to 1764, the Pontiacs rebellionschool massacre, where 11 mountain were k diabeticed at a schoolhouse in Pennsylvania,the rise of statistics within the last 5 years bring on been drastic and show agrowing trend to a problem within the US. Research soils Since 2013, on that pointhave been more than 300 school shootings in the States an average of ab unwrap one aweek (E verytown). However, the appearance of guns alone or threats ofviolence is verit fitting(a) higher. Statistics atomic subroutine 18 only calculated for the recordedgunshots fired on school grounds or fired within a school during school hours.They do not include incidents where guns have been brought into school withoutbeing fired or shootings outside of school hours (Patel). With the on leaving risein school shootings in the United States as a whole, atomic number 31 ranks one of thehighest states for such incidences.Gun violence as a whole has become a major issuein the south, particularly Georgia. Judd states thats Georgians are morethan in two managements as presumable as New Yorkers to be killed in a shooting. The death rateexceeds eve that of Illinois. With the 13th highest death rate, most ofthose deaths occurred in Atlanta (Judd). Since the sandy nook shooting in 2012,when a gunman shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults with a firearm, Georgiahas been the second leading state for school/college shootings, behind Texas,with a total of 23 incidents resulting in either deaths or injuries. At least 5of those incidences were in Atlanta alone (Karishnakumar). The reason forschool shootings follows a controversial debate amongst society. However, itcan not go unmentioned that slatternly gun access is one of the most influentialcauses.Some willing ask gun control is the sole factorin school shootings, others will argue i ts not the gun, except more so theindividual that posses it. the Statess love for guns dates back to the secondamendment, which give the right to bear arms.Originally implemented for the militia, the Supreme Court revitalized itallowing guns in homes for self-defense (Cornell uprightness school). With this inmind, in that location are approx 300 million guns statewide. With a population of justover 300million, that is roughly an equal beat of guns to persons. However,only one-third of the population own guns, meaning that more than one is heldin each of those households (BBC). house gun ownership is high particularlyin the south. Studies show that Across the South, 38 percent of householdshave a gun compared with 35 percent in the Midwest, 34 percent in the Westand 27 percent in the Northeast (Simonton). With this high rate, it makes itvery easy for young adults to have access to guns, with or without an adultsknowledge. Friedman states that The American Medical Association re ports thatbetween 36 percent and 50 percent of male eleventh graders said they could easily confirm a gun if they wanted to (90). Further reasearch withal states that overtwo-thirds of students who utilize guns in violent acts at school got those gunsfrom their own home or that of a relative (Erwin). This is likely because thegun was not stored away and unloaded, not because the young adult has freelybeen given it. However, it shows that there are definite links betweenhousehold gun ownership and gun violence. Besides the fact that guns are easily accessiblewithin homes, there are over 50,000 gun stores in America making a purchase ofa gun an easy task. Within Georgia, the purchase of a gun is very simple. Youdo not need a permit to purchase a firearm, and you do not need to register thefirearm once purchased. However, there are more or less lawfulnesss on age restrictions. To acquire a handgun statewide the consumer must be at least 18 years old, however inGeorgia for an unlice nsed person to sell a long gun there is no age restriction(Laws). This is a serious issue as it means that children of any age are ableto obtain and have access to a gun without any consequences. With thesestatistics in mind its safe to assign that the easy access to guns plays a hugerole in gun violence within schools, however, they are not the only factor thatcontributes to such incidences.With the many school shootings that have takenplace over the years, we try to look at all specific causes and whether thereare links between the causes. The media plays a huge role in trying to exchangesociety that there is a specific cause of all school shootings. However, thereis no specific profile that fits the motivation of a shooter. Often there doesseem to be links between school shootings and a specific factor, but this isnot in all cases. Friedman states 66% of shooters interviewed aft(prenominal) theattack felt they had been bullied or threatened by classmates and said that wasthei r principal(prenominal) reason for shooting others (90). However approx. 1 in 5 childrenreport being bullied in a given year, yet show no signs of violence or suchcrime (De La O). Although blustery may worsen problems for youth, physicallyand emotionally, there is very little evidence that alone it is the cause ofgun violence. Society often singles out an issue like noetic health, revenge,the culture of violence, drug and intoxicant abuse, as well as various socialproblems as the cause. However although many of these factors can be associatedwith a shooter, it is very hard to say that one alone fits that of everyshooter. When we look at all these issues we see that many young adultsexperience at least one of them, yet dont commit such a crime. On the otherhand, a mix of these factors could be a practicable cause and its grievous thatsociety pays close attention to an individual that may encounter several ofthese issues to block anything further happening (Friedman 52). It is important as a community that everyoneworks together, including the law, public health, schools, peers, parents, andteachers in order to prevent school shootings from happening. Such proactiveprocedures include watching for warning signs and identifying and reportingthem. This will service of process a student early who is showing potential risk factors. Inmost cases, it is apparent that earlier to a shooting someone is aware or shownsigns that a shooter has plans of an attack. Duplechain and Morris states In more than 80% of the cases hestudied, at least one person knew the attacker was supplying something two ormore people knew in almost 60 percent of the cases (146). Most shootings arepremeditated and at some point, there is a chance that the shooter has eithershown attack-related behavior or discussed the event with someone, whethersomething is said as a joke or said on a serious matter. In previous shootings,this has occurred. In the aquilegia school shooting, the shooter prior to theevent wrote a paper on a male who was planning a school shooting, as well aswritings journals with all their plans in for the shooting (Gumbell). zip atthe time thought anything of it, yet it was a significant sign as to what wasgoing to be carried out. This being said, it is very important that students,teachers, parents and all listen and watch for signs and act accordingly.Reporting such suspicions could be crucial in preventing an attack. As well as watching for signs a solution toprevent school shootings is to Work together to provide strategies and thecorrect resources for students. Sometimes for parents it can be hard to come to wrong with the fact their child has a mental health issue or behavioral issues,however, it is important that they get their children the help needed. It isalso important that schools provide resources. School counselors pay a pivotrole in providing counseling groups to provide tools to deal with emotions,anger, grief, and loss as well and mental health problems. They help sustenance achild in making changes in their life addressing the topics that most concernthem (Paolini). With the correct encourage available and the communitieswillingness to watch and report suspicions, school incidents could be preventedin the future. However with this in mind, the role of the law is also veryimportant. Stricter gun laws are substantial in reducinggun violence. In the state of Georgia, there are very little restrictions ongun laws. As a state, they allow gross revenue of a gun without a permit or withoutprocessing through the federal firearms license, Mentally ill individuals arealso removed from the database after 5 years without a reassessment fromdoctors. This meaning that after a person passes the 5-year mark they are thenillegible to purchase or sell a gun, even if they have not been assessed by adoctor to say they are now mentally stable (Cook). Unlike other states, Georgiaalso sticks with the federal age restriction of 18 to buy a gun, whereas manyother states have reassessed age restrictions and moved it to 21. These weak laws make it very easy for a youngadult or mentally unstable individual to acquire a gun. legion(predicate) will also argue stricter gun laws will nothelp reduce school shootings, however, inquiry shows otherwise. When comparingthe US to other rich countries with stricter gun laws, there is a hugedifference in the homicide rate. Statistics show that The number of gunmurders per capita in the US in 2012 the most recent year for similarstatistics was nearly 30 times that in the UK, at 2.9 per 100,000 comparedwith just 0.1 (BBC). When looking at the US solely, investigate also shows thatthose states with stricter gun control have little gun related deaths. After alaw passed in Connecticut in 1995 making it more difficult to buy a handgun thenumber of homicides reduced by 40%. This law included purchasers having toobtain a license from the police in person as well as passing a backgroundcheck before being accepted for a sale (Lachman). All of this research shows that stricter gunlaws are a solution towards less gun violence and unless Congress and thegovernment make some amendments, then school shootings are going to continue tooccur. It is evident that school shootings are a majorissue within Atlanta and America as a whole. With a vast and continuousincrease over the given years its important that both the law and communitywork together to help stop such incidents occurring. Research proves that thereis no specific profile for a shooter, however, it is important as a communityto watch out for any signs of potential risk, report them and provide studentswith the correct resources. This and stricter gun laws allowing students accessto guns more difficult will help decrease gun violence. ReferencesBBC. Guns in the US The statistics behind theviolence. BBC News, 2016, http//www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34996604Cook,Rhonda. Georgia clears way for mental lyill to buy guns. Myajc, 2018,https//www.myajc.com/news/local/georgia-clears-way-for-mentally-ill-buy-guns/agHJKZW8LiqVI4mu1GQmLJ/Cornell LawSchool. Second Amendment. LLI/Legal information Institute, https//www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendmentDe La O, Maria. Schoolshootings are active more than bullying. The Washington post, 2013, https//www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/10/25/school-shootings-are- close to-more-than-bullying/?utm_term=.6be5672995aeDupllechain, Rosiland, and Robert Morris. SCHOOLVIOLENCE describeSCHOOLSHOOTINGSANDMAKINGSCHOOLSSAFER. Galileo,Vol. 135, no. 2, pp.45-150.Erwin,Nicole. In wake of school shootings, alook at how kids get guns. Ohiovalley resource, 2018, http//ohiovalleyresource.org/2018/01/24/in-wake-of-school-shooting-a-look-at-how-kids-get-guns/Everytown. The long shameful listof school shootings in America. 2018, https//everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/Friedman,Lauri. School Shootings. Greenhaven,2010. Gumbell,And rew. The truth about columbine.The guardian, 2009, https//www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/17/columbine-massacre-gun-crime-usJudd, Alan. Youretwice as likely to be shot to death in Georgia than New York (and other gunviolence facts). Myajc, 2017, https//www.myajc.com/blog/investigations/you-twice-likely-shot-death-georgia-than-new-york-and-other-gun-violence-facts/Kdk3MXsowc6ASzmd15o2QN/Krishnakumar, Pray. Since blondeNook, a gun has been fired on school grounds at least once a week. www.Latimes.com,2015, http//www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-school-shootings-since-newtown/Law.Minimum age to purchase and possess.Giffords law centre to prevent violence,http//lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/who-can-have-a-gun/minimum-age/federalLachman,Samantha. Conneticut gun control lawsharply reduced gun-related violence, report says. Huffpost UK, 2015,https//www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/12/connecticut-gun-control-_n_7570852.htmlPaolini,Allison. School Shootings and StudentMental H ealth Role of the School Counselor in Mitigating Violence. Councelling.org, 2015, https//www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/school-shootings-and-student-mental-health.pPatel, Jugal, K. After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 SchoolShootings.NYtimes.com,2018, https//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.htmlSimonton,Stell. Guns in schoolGeorgia has most shootingssince Sandy Nook. America.Aljazeera.com,2015, http//america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/29/gun-lax-georgia-has-most-school-shootings-since-sandy-hook-massacre.htmlStages in sufficeing to casualtys FloodsStages in responding to disasters FloodsResponding to Disaster FloodsEffects of Natural and human made disasters are devastating and this calls for competent mental health professionals to provide for disaster reprieve services to the dupes. Victims of flood disasters respond differently depending on their in the flesh(predicate) experience. In our case, people are warned about the impending danger of flood disaster but some fail to respond at all. Even after the flood disaster, others return to reconstruct their houses and belongings. This means that the shell of encumbrance to be employ should be culture based. The following intervention strategies, marked with make ups, would be applied to the victims of the flood disaster.ImpactImmediately after the flood strikes, the survivors panic, are confused and cannot think at that secondment (Gilliland, James, 2013). Adults are desperately searching everywhere, looking for their missing family members. Victims are exposed to horrors of the aftermath and they are adjoin by death and devastation. It is indeed a time of agony. At this stage, an appropriate intervention would be an emotionally driven Psychological intervention strategy. This strategy helps the individual to recollect themselves and to acquire focusing on the way forward.Emergence/acute heroic stageAfter th e aftermath, survivors start saving and collecting what they can. It is a enumerate the loss phase. At this stage, I would recommend for physiological responses as the intervention is focused on physical damage such as loss of property, injuries, geographical displacement, and anger due to the aftermath loss incurred (Gilliland, James, 2013). I will engage in emotionally driven talk with the victims in order to help relief their anxieties surrounding their crisis. I will also provide emotional help on how individuals can find oneself their property and probably their beloved family members.Inventory stageThis is the recovery phase. In this stage, survivors are slowly pass judgment the realities of life. I will engage in method in which individuals can utilize their abilities in desire for employment for survival. I will engage in cognitive-behavioral intervention skills and try to convince the survivor on danger of living such vulnerable places (Benedek, Fullerton, Ursano, 20 07). The idea to change their perception about the place and make them understand the Governments warning about the place.Honeymoon stageAt this stage, the victims are apprehensive about their financial recovery. This come after one to three months post the flooding disaster. It is a stage of rebuilding. I recommend for cognitive coping strategies in order to help the survivors see the sense of wretched from the vulnerable to other places. Coping skills are helpful in enabling the victim change their milieu to move on with their normal lives.Avoidance phaseAt this phase, I will recommend for psycho-social intervention skills. The aftermath effects are coupled with loses, causing psychological disturbance and sometimes lead to Posttraumatic tension disorder (PTSD). With Psycho-social intervention skills a victim can slowly forget about the disaster and start focusing on other things through social life. Adaptation phaseAdaptive phase depends on the victims resiliency. Resilient p eople tend to recover faster. In that regard, I will recommend for cognitive-behavioral responses in order strengthen the victims by making them recognize how strong they are. Positive behavioral skills can also influence positive change and hence influence adaptive skills that the victims can do without their deep in thought(p) ones. Disillusionment phaseDisillusion can prevent victims from adapting to their environment. Anything attached to the previously experienced flooding disaster will likely arouse the traumatic experience. To help victims recover from this problem, I will use cognitive coping skills. These skills helps a victim accept the reality, forget about the past and focus on the present. pathogenic to salutogenic shiftAt this phase, the victim has not yet fully recovered from the post traumatic judge disorder even after one year after the disaster. It is a critical condition and the victim is always struggling to let go the stress. This may happened to mothers who s aw their children perishn by water. Resiliency itself cannot draw the stress away from the victim. A suitable intervention strategy would be the use of the victims coherence to overcome the stress. This involves integrating cognitive-behavioral coping skills to enable the victim understand that their problem is manageable. It requires the use of emotional-psychological strategies to convince the victim (Gelbach, 2008). Restabilization/reconstructionThis involves the rebuilding of the victims emotional and social self. The best way to respond to victims at this stage is by use of psycho-social strategies (Bartley, 2007). This involves encouraging the victim to make new friends and interact with people. kind life interactions allows victims to forget about their past easily and focus on their future. Ethical/ Cultural favorSome heathenish considerations involve various elements One, awareness of your world view, two, an understanding of the clients worldview, and finally, a better understanding of the appropriate intervention to apply on a client depending on the crisis and location (Goodman, West-Olatunji, 2009). In our case, there is the need for a culture centered disaster response. Bearing that the people were warned about the impending flood disaster and didnt do anything about it gives us the indication of social cultural factors among the community. Therefore, understanding the existence of social cultural factors among the victims facilitates the conceptualization of the needs of the people, especially in low income communities (Goodman, West-Olatunji, 2009). This also helps in determining the kind of intervention model applicable to a victim. ReferencesBartley, A. G. (2007). Confronting the realities of volunteering for a national disaster. daybook of Mental Health Counseling, 29(1), 4-16.Benedek, D. M., Fullerton, C., Ursano, R. J. (2007). First Responders Mental Health Consequences of Natural and Human-Made Disasters for Public Health and Pub lic prophylactic Workers*. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 28, 55-68.Gelbach, R. A. (2008). Trauma, research, and EMDR A disaster responders wish list.Journal of EMDR Practice Research,2(2), 146155.doi http//dx.doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.2.2.146Gilliland, B. E., James, R. K. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies.Goodman, R. D., West-Olatunji, C. A. (2009).Applying critical awareness Culturally competent disaster response outcomes.Journal of Counseling Development,87(4), 458465. doi 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2009.tb00130.x