In the US, gun violence is a significant societal issue.
The main demographic that is most impacted by the vice, both as victims and as perpetrators, is youth. In essence, young people's propensity for violence has grown recently. According to estimates, there were 3,374 gun-related incidents in 2014, most of which were committed by young individuals between the ages of 12 and 24. (Puzzanchera, Chamberlin & Kang, 2016). Similar to this, Parsons and Johnson (2014) found that 21% of people killed by gun violence in 2010 were under 25 years old, with more than 6,500 cases recorded. This is a reflection of the prevalence of the vice in today's society. Given the significant demerits of gun violence, there is a need to establish factors that cause the impediment in the society, as well as the determination of strategies that can be engaged to mitigate the current trends.
Gun Violence Risk Factors Among the Youth
There are several factors which increase a community's susceptibility to gun violence. To begin with, the community setting has a great influence on one's violent tendencies. When one is exposed to continuous violence in the society that they reside in, they are likely to engage in similar violent tendencies later on in life. Essentially, most of the apprehended perpetrators of gun violence often establish that they had been exposed to the same at an earlier point in life. Exposure to violence may be both direct and indirect. Direct exposure occurs when the individual is subject to violent victimization. This encourages high tolerance for violence and may in turn inspire similar traits in the affected individual (Marans & Adelman, 1997). Indirect exposure to violence occurs when an individual, during an early stage in life, witnesses a violent and traumatizing event. An individual who was exposed to the vice is increasingly likely to develop some psychological challenges which are in turn manifested in the form of violence later on in life.
Alternatively, the ease of access to firearms provides a contributing factor to increased gun violence. Unsupervised exposure to firearms at an early age in life inspires high tolerance for gun violence among youths. This inspires criminal tendencies which may often result in arrests at an early stage in life. Thus, when one is allowed easy access to guns during childhood, they are increasingly likely to use the same in the future to further their personal goal. Such youths progressively graduate from relatively mild forms of violence to increased violence. Most of the youthful perpetrators of gun violence often live in homes with firearms and the absence of supervised exposure to the available firearms.
On the other hand, physiological changes during adolescence may be responsible for increased gun violence among teenagers in the U.S. Essentially, during puberty, individuals are often the subject of emotional changes, which if unregulated, may become volatile, leading to aggression and thus increased gun violence in society. During adolescence, the majority of individuals in the subject group strive to command the respect and admiration of their peers. Socially ostracized adolescents are more likely to engage in violence. Violence provides a framework through which adolescents express their anger as a result of social. Alternatively, the need to please their peers may lead to violent tendencies among the youth (Elliot & Menard, 1996). Often times, as a result of peer pressure, youths resort to engage in collective interests, such as drug abuse and unhinged use of alcohol. The need to belong thus inspires gun violence given that the subject individuals become more volatile after the use of the drugs.
Gun Violence Mitigation Efforts
There are several measures that can be engaged to mitigate gun violence in society. To begin with, there is a need for the community and parents to offer succinct guidance to their children lest they fall into the traps that are predicated by their peers. Parents should make it their priority to establish the whereabouts of their children as well as influencing their children's friendships. Similarly, learning institutions should be actively involved in the daily lives of their students. The institutions should create frameworks which allow students to consult, as well as resolve some of the issues that impede their peace.
Alternatively, states should determine policies which reduce the number of firearms that are available to the general public. A reduction in the number of guns significantly reduces the chances by which children will be able to access guns in their immediate environments. The legal frameworks should establish stringent regulations which all the owners of firearms will be expected to abide by. Lastly, the investigative and police bodies should make it a priority to monitor the movements and behavioral patterns of youths. Young people whose behavioral engagements point towards volatility should be committed to psychological and social evaluation in their subject states.
Conclusion
Gun violence among youngsters constitutes a major challenge in society today. Some of the factors that inspire gun violence include the physiological changes during adolescence, ease of access to firearms, peer pressure, and one's community setting. To mitigate the occurrence of gun violence, there is a need for the creation of policies that reduce the number of firearms which are available to the public. Similarly, it is imperative that parents become actively involved in their children's lives.
References
Marans, S., & Adelman, A. (1997). Experiencing violence in a developmental context. In J. D. Osofsky (Ed.), Children in a violent society, 202-222. New York: Guilford Press.
Parsons, C., & Johnson, A. (2014). Young guns: How gun violence is devastating the millennial generation. Retrieved on May 12, 2017 from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/report/2014/02/21/84491/young-guns-how-gun-violence-is-devastating-the-millennial-generation
Puzzanchera, C., Chamberlin, G., & Kang, W. (2016) Uniform Crime Reporting ProgramData, U.S. Supplementary Homicide Reports: 1980–2014. Washington: U.S. Department of Justice, FBI.
