The Epidemic that raged before the Pandemic

by Jahari Henry, Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

Gun violence has been occurring long before the pandemic, and now that the Pandemic is fading, the violence is back in action. "Rally to Prevent Gun Violence" by MDGovpics is licensed under CC BY 2.0

When it became clear in 2020 that COVID-19 would be the dominating societal issue for a while, we as a collective forgot about a lot of the issues that America was struggling with. Opioid addiction, income inequality, climate change and much more were all thrown in the rearview mirror in order to focus on the behemoth known as COVID-19.

The pandemic is well into its second year. While its long lasting effects will certainly be felt throughout the rest of this decade and beyond, focus seems to be shifting back to those unresolved issues of the pre-COVID era. The paramount of these issues is the increase of mass shootings and gun violence that has gripped our nation in the past two months.

The gun violence epidemic in our country is a blight on American society. While I wholeheartedly agree with any American’s right to arm and protect themself as well as use guns for leisure, that principle does not supersede my belief that no person's life should be cut short by the hands of a gunman.

As of May 2nd, 2021 there have been 176 mass shootings across the country which have accounted for hundreds of deaths according to the Gun Violence Archive. This is UNACCEPTABLE! Especially considering that many other developed nations like the U.S have swiftly addressed their issues regarding gun violence. For example, in New Zealand when a white supremacist stormed into a New Zealand mosque and killed 51 people, the country’s government responded with allowing police officers to vet gun pirchases and strengthening already exsisting gun laws within that nation. These are steps that legislators in the United States refuse to take even after years of habitual gun violence.

President Biden and the White House are pushing for reforms in gun laws in regards to closing loopholes and to the government's credit some have been closed. However, much more remains to be accomplished if this nation is to ever solve the epidemic that has been ravaging our country even before the pandemic.

Common sense practical solutions exist that don't punish existing gun owners. For example we could require that all who wish to own a gun get licensed like someone would with a car or a plane would. This could also be accompanied with a mandatory gun safety class before getting this proposed gun license. We could also pressure states to crack down on guns traveling between states borders as freely as they do today. For example, even though the city of Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation they have some of the highest rates of gun violence because of weapons that flow in from neighboring Indiana.

We can also take steps in our communities, by addressing gun culture and safety in our places of work, city halls, places of worship, and even schools. When communities come together even in the smallest of towns to address the psychological issues of gun violence even on the local level it's a huge step in the right direction for gun violence prevention. Even though this has been a lingering problem for our country there is nonetheless hope to solve the epidemic that has dogged us even before the pandemic.