Gun Violence in America. A Public Health Epidemic
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GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: A PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIC
Nkenna Ihezue
Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences
THE 210 – Medical Moral Theology
Professor Scott Davidson
November 22nd, 2022
1
Gun Violence in America: A Public Health Epidemic
Abstract
Mass shootings, suicide, domestic abuse, and unintentional death and injury are all
examples of gun violence. The presence of weapons can occasionally make people feel
threatened and afraid for their lives, which can have severe and lasting psychological
repercussions on individuals and communities. Gun violence has always only been
considered a political problem. This paper seeks to describe policy health issues relating to
Gun violence in the United States with Suggestions for Addressing these Issues and policy
development to influence nursing practice, health care, and its impact on the healthcare
delivery system.
2
History of Gun Violence
Gun violence is a serious public health concern that disproportionately affects low-
income and communities of color, who are often more likely to live in neighborhoods with
high gun-related homicide and suicide rates. In addition to its social impacts, it also has
economic costs through lost productivity from premature deaths and decreased worker
productivity due to injuries sustained during gun attacks or conflicts with perpetrators.
According to recently published research from the
C
enters for
D
isease
C
ontrol and
P
revention
(
2020
), 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the United States in 2020.
Some were unintentional, which was by far the most on record. Some of them also involved
law enforcement; the rest were those whose circumstances could not be determined. 54% of
all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides, while 43% were murder
s (
Gramlich J. 2022
)
.
In most nations, notably the United States, firearm-related violent cases are a factor in
the yearly death and injury toll. Assaults committed using firearms, or other armed devices
are referred to as "gun violence." The concept of criminal violence may or may not apply to
this kind of abuse. Using a fatal weapon in a physical assault or a justified homicide are
examples of situations in which a gun-related attack may constitute criminal violence. When
a firearm handler accidentally injures or kills oneself or another person, and the cause is not
criminal neglect, this violence with a firearm is considered a non-criminal form of abuse.
Gun
violence is one of the most critical issues facing our country today
.
It is not just a matter of
statistics; it is about daily human lives lost to guns, even if those killed by guns are not
personally known. They may have seen them on T.V. or read about them in newspapers, or
heard about them from friends or family members who did know someone who had died
because of gun violence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(2020)
, gun violence was the second leading cause of injury-related death among those aged
5-34
in the United States in 2010. Gun violence has many forms: homicide, suicide,
3
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accidental shootings, and firearm injuries. In 2010, approximately 33,000 people died from
gun injuries in the U
nited
S
tates
, including deaths resulting from homicides and suicides.
While mass murders happened throughout recorded history, a shooting involving guns have
become part of American Culture. The worst mass murder in American history occurred at
the University of Texas at Austin in 1966. the "Texas Power Sniper" killed 16 people and
wounded 31 people over 96 minutes using bolt action ri
ff
le
(
Philip
D.
& Romanek
D.
2018).
The origin of gun violence in the United States is traced to the wars against the
indigenous people, policing of enslaved people, and colonialism. The United States was
founded on conquered land with capital in the form of enslaved people; the capitalist firearms
industry was among the first successful modern corporation
.
After independence, the newly
formed United States established the individual right to bear arms so
that it would be easy for
the militia to control and contain the indigenous nations in the move to establish the new
country. With the introduction of enslaved people in the State and the onset of plantations, the
same militias were repossessed to contain enslaved people. Mass shootings were the
offshoots of the massacres that were prominent during colonialism. The same was also seen
in other places where the British erected colonies, like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand
(Ward B. 2018).
Mental Health and Gun Violence
Though it is evident that mental health is not the actual cause of gun violence, the
problem of gun violence may also cause mental health difficulties for survivors of gun
violence. These effects may include anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep problem, personality
changes, and post-traumatic stress disorder (EFSGV 2020). Exposure to trauma, including
gun violence, increases the risk of adverse health outcomes like post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), anxiety, and depression (PennToday 2020). These can lead to health concerns like
pain, hypertension, and gastrointestinal issues. Again, this can create worry for individuals in
4
the community, causing them to change their everyday lives. The levels of gun violence can
also affect the lifestyles of the community because some individuals would instead move
away from such a community (Epps T. 2022). It is logical to say that gun violence is a
preventable problem. There should be more research and funding for gun violence if the
government is serious about fighting gun violence. Gun violence affects all areas of medicine,
including the emergency room, clinicians, nurses, and surgical teams, who deal with the
grueling initial trauma presentations, as well as social workers, mental health specialists,
rehabilitation specialists, and general practitioners who deal with the aftereffects of the
bullets (Evens K. H., Mitton J., & Sacks C. A. 2018).
Unintentional Death and Injury by Firearm
Gun violence is a severe public health problem in this country. It encompasses
unintended death and injury, violent crime, attempted suicide, homicide, and suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), a firearm injury is a
gunshot wound or penetrating wound caused by a weapon that employs a powder charge to
fire projectiles, such as a handgun, rifle, or shotgun. As these weapons don't employ a powder
charge to discharge a projectile, injuries caused by air and gas-powered weapons, B.B. guns,
and pellet guns are not classified as firearm injuries. These can also be divided into four
categories: intentional self-harm, inadvertent and interpersonal violence, judicial intervention,
and unclear intent. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).
The United States leads the number of nations plagued by gun violence. Increased
firearm fatality rates are correlated with firearm ownership rates. Compared to other nations,
the United States has an approximately 25-fold more significant rate of firearm murder.
Another common misconception is that people with mental illnesses are responsible for gun
violence; however, the true culprit is unrestricted access to guns. Men die at much higher
rates for all forms of gun violence than women (EFSGV 2020). There also have been rampant
5
school shootings in the United States. Gun violence is a significant threat to public health and
safety in the United States. Availability dramatically increases the risk of violent death in
America because many acts of gun violence involve spontaneous altercations that result in
death or severe injury when a gun is available. To properly tackle the problem of gun
violence, the issues of availability should be taken seriously by the government. If guns and
firearms are not within reach of these people involved, there will be fewer reported cases of
gun violence. 31% of all households in the United States have firearms, and 22% of
American adults personally own one or more firearms. Research has shown that individuals
with risk factors for firearm injury and death are less likely to safely store their firearms when
compared with a firearm without these risk factors (UC Davis Health 2022).
How to Solve the Problem of Gun Violence in the United States
According to some academics, the high rate of gun violence in our nation is a
foreseeable result of both a lack of political will to alter things and a lack of an effective
strategy for implementing preventative measures that would lower the rate of shootings. For
instance, after a shooting at a school, attention will be given to improving school security
rather than examining the reasons behind the incident (Preventive Institute 2022). Increased
police presence in schools does not address the issue of easy access to weapons. In the wake
of school shootings, policymakers boosted tax funding for the hiring of additional school
police, yet it has been noted that the number of injured students has grown. Because there are
so many firearms in the country and access to them is so widely available, it is more likely
that young people will obtain guns illegally. Policymakers must address how young people
obtain weapons if they want to make schools safer (Lunday A. 2022).
Although most individuals with mental illness are not dangerous, getting mental
health care can frequently help stop gun violence in those at risk for it because of their
disease, suicidal thoughts, or emotions of despair. A national goal should be to develop
6
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policies and services to help detect and treat everyone with a mental illness. The mental
health field must take the initiative to advance community-based cooperative problem-
solving techniques to address gun violence prevention (American Psychological Association,
2022).
Conclusion
From the preceding, it is pertinent to state that having more guns in circulation does
not fight criminal activities; instead, it makes it on the increase. The idea should be to stop
people from owning guns but to have restrictions and limitations. Preventing gun violence
before it happens should be a game plan. People should stop believing that the only way to
control or stop gun violence is by bypassing federal laws on gun use that can save their lives.
There are many ways of preventing gun violence, and the law is just an excuse because there
are many places the issue of gun violence can petition. The government should increase the
minimum age to own a gun from eighteen to above twenty-one because most teenagers at this
stage are still not mature enough. They even need parental guidance in most decision-making,
which is why they are always under parental care and supervision.
7
References
American Psychological Association. (2022). Gun violence: prediction, prevention, and
policy. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/gun-violence-prevention
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. (2019). Self-directed violence and other forms of
self-injury. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandsafety/self-
injury.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Fast facts: firearm violence prevention
Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/fastfact.html
EFSGV (2020). Gun violence in the United States. Retrieved from
https://efsgv.org/learn/type-of-gun-violence/gun-violence-in-the-united-states/
EFSGV (2020). Mental illness and gun violence. Retrieved from https://efsgv.org/.../mental-
illness-and-gun-violence
Epps T. (2022). Managing mental health amid gun violence. Retrieved from
https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2022/june/managing-mental-health-
amid-gun-violence
Gramlich J.
(
2022
)
.
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deaths-in-the-u-s/
Evens K.H., Mitton J., & Sacks C. A. (2018). Stop posturing and start problem solving: a call
for research to prevent gun violence. Retrieved From
https://journalofethics.ama-
assn.org/article/stop-posturing-and-start-problem-solving-call-research-prevent-gun-
violence/2018-01?Effort%2BCode=FBB007
Lunday A.(2022).
How do we stop gun violence in America? Retrieved from
https://hub.jhu.edu/2022/05/27/american-gun-violence-solutions
8
PennToday (2020). Managing mental health amid gun violence. Retrieved From
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-psychiatry
Philip D. & Romanek D. (2018). Gun violence: a brief cultural history. Retrieved from
https://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/exhibits/temporary/gun-violence-brief-cultural-
history
Preventive Institute (2022). Gun violence must stop. Here's what we can do to prevent more
deaths. Retrieved from https://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-
violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy
UC Davis Health (2022).
What
y
ou
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an
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Ward B. (2018). The roots of gun violence in the United States. Retrieved from
https://isreview.org/issue/109/roots-gun-violence-united-states/index.html
9
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