You’ve probably heard of mass shootings, gun violence, and similar vocabularies. Now and then, the world is heartbroken by the news of mass shootings even before we heal from the previous ones.
But what is a mass shooting? It refers to an event where someone or a group actively participates in killings or tries to kill people in a crowded area using a firearm (most popular a gun).
A good example, fresh in nearly everyone’s minds, is the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas, United States, on May 24th, 2022. An eighteen-year-old Salvador Ramos, alumnae of the school, tragically shot nineteen students and two teachers, leaving seventeen survivors wounded. That marked the third-most fatal school shooting in the country after those of Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2007 and 2012.
Mass shooting can also be ‘shot dead’ regardless of how complex it appears. Every time a tragedy occurs, the government focuses on that area, forgetting other possibly targeted locations. But what if it concentrated on ending the disaster nationwide and not just in a single area?
Below are practical ways that can bring an end to mass shootings across the world.
1. AI Security Technology
Did you know governments can use AI security technology to minimize and eventually stop mass shootings in different nations? Just like computers, cars, and other gadgets continue to witness massive technological developments, the same should apply to guns in efforts to stop mass shootings.
For instance, active PIN codes, fingerprints, and facial scanners should be employed to boost the safe storage of guns and related accessories. Experts can also develop AI technologies that can detect and analyze people’s behaviour in public and discover suspicious ones that could pose a threat.
The AI gun detection technology can be employed to discern sounds or gun images in public places to keep law enforcers aware of possible danger. While no technology can completely erase the possibility of mass shootings, AI can substantially minimize the disaster in numbers and impact.
2. Mental Health Support
Most mass shooters usually relate to an underlying mental issue when testifying in court or being tested for mental stability in hospitals. Therefore, offering mental support, especially to young youths, can be an ideal way of minimizing and eventually stopping mass shootings and their adverse effects.
First, mental health issues should be addressed early to prevent further deterioration. Furthermore, educational services regarding gun safety should be comprehensively provided in schools and through campaigns while creating awareness of emotional wellness.
Mental health experts can liaise with law authorities to determine people who have had recurrent cases of gun violence and offer them possible counselling, medication, treatments, or therapy to deter further, more fatal incidences.
3. Gun Control
Another effective way to stop mass shootings is by controlling the making, sale, ownership, transport, use, and modification of firearms among civilians. Primarily, the government is responsible for gun control across the state.
However, organizations that have acquired licenses to operate firearms might be as vigilant as the government would be, and that’s where reckless ownership of firearms spreads. To stop mass shootings due to unauthorized (or authorized) ownership of guns by potential criminals, the government should conduct a critical background check on various businesses before granting licenses for private ownership and sales.
It should also ban particular forms of firearms, especially ones that pose a high threat if used in public. Above all, firearms should be stored under tight security to deter unauthorized access by hooligans for the safety of civilians.
4. Employment and Education Opportunities
Another way governments can stop mass shootings, although in the long run, is by providing employment and education opportunities to jobless youths and school dropout teenagers. Lack of jobs raises the chances of a mass shooting as individuals seek to steal for survival and due to depression over the high cost of living.
Similarly, teenage school dropouts tend to engage in gun violence to earn a living after losing hope in education. Mass shooting risks can be reduced substantially when the government promotes equal employment and education opportunities, training, and programs for civilians.
Additionally, municipal-based activities such as cleaning, road construction, and other improvements have been testified to reduce gun violence by actively engaging the youth.
5. Positive Gun Culture
Gun violence and mass shootings start with one’s psychology regarding guns before they physically see or get hold of them. Therefore, efforts by governments to stop the disaster should start with creating a positive attitude toward guns among civilians. First, it should educate the public to fight against any negative information surrounding gun possession and provide accurate information.
Additionally, governments should campaign for the respect of life to kill the notion that it can be taken away recklessly through mass shootings. The last way governments can foster a positive gun culture is by promoting responsible firearms ownership and strictly administering laws.
By adhering to the above strategies, it can be possible to stop mass shooting and their adverse impacts worldwide. Anyone, including your community, country, or family, can be a victim of mass shootings. Thus, you should stand out against it. Above all, you can confidently participate in campaigns against mass shootings and exercise safety in crowded places.