While some of us enjoy the luxury of a harmonious and invulnerable life, not everyone is able to experience it. Some people bear to live in constant fear for their lives due to the high probability of someone gunning them down on a random Thursday.
Gun violence is an extremely prevalent issue in today’s world. It threatens the most fundamental human right, the right to life. While bearing arms might be permitted by law, it's not necessary that all hands holding these weapons are possessing minds that know how to make safe and sensible use of the weaponry. Just this year, the US alone has seen 272 mass shootings (CNN), which only makes us wonder just how easily and unexpectedly such ruthless killings can take place right under everyone's noses, wiping out hope from numerous families. Another staggering fact is that nearly 500 people are a victim of gun violence every day (Amnesty.org). Moreover, a long term exposure to problems like this can cause PTSD, stress and anxiety, and not only to the survivors but also to the witnesses and by-standers.
This goes on to show that some kind of impactful action is required to curb this crisis. Luckily, some people have taken the matter in their own hands. From protests to forming organizations, they are determined to make a change. Some examples of this are “Everytown for Gun Safety” and “Gun Control Network”. Social Media awareness movements have also been very successful in getting the message across to the public. Furthermore, some grassroots level mobilizations like the “March for Our Lives” also have been effective. Laws have also been altered to counter gun violence.
(Protest against Gun Violence)
Now, even though we've seen that the flames of a large amount of social media movements or real life protests seem to fade out and extinguish after a certain amount of time with no desirable change or results obtained, these protests, movements, and legal advancements aimed to gain control of the Gun Violence situations have actually brought about real change. For example, Florida made sweeping changes to its gun policy after the Parkland Shooting and the protests following it. The Christchurch shooting in New Zealand also led to the tightening of gun laws.
Although there is very little reason to believe that there will be an end to this maddening brutality soon, however, we must remember that no effort is little effort. Hopefully, there will be a vaccine to put an end to this pandemic too.
Authored By: Areeha Afzal
Edited By: Ananya Dutta
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