Around the world, gun violence is one of the most feared criminal activities that we can imagine. When there is an ongoing mass shootings or shoot-out in our streets, we tend to start becoming insane due to the stray bullets that might harm us. We always do not know when will the next thing that could risk our safety and security in the future because there are no signs that any similar threats could bombard terror across the society.
It has been learned that gun violence is one of the most feared type of violence in our society. This is due to the psychological incapacity that prompts vulnerable individuals to propagate this kind of violence to the community. Perpetrators can be normal people. However, people who were not in their state of mind always has a plan to prepare and then execute their wrongdoing against other individuals. They know how to carefully prepare needed equipment as a way for them to successfully perpetrate the type of harm that they are going to apply to the community of interest. These are normal individuals, dressed as clowns, and lone wolves who were manipulated by terrorist individuals online.
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| A shotgun can be easily used as a weapon of mass destruction |
Riots along the streets can be responsible for causing mass violence. A street gang war that can be seen on the streets, firing numerous gun against their rivals could risk the safety of the community. Stray bullets can penetrate structures, causing damages to properties. Passers-by near the street where violence is ongoing could be at risk for being shot in a stray bullet.
Sometimes, being threatened by an individual who is carrying a dangerous weapon could elicit our flight and fight response. The first thing that we do is to go away from the scene. However, if you are already confronted by the perpetrator, you have no choice but to either defend yourself, or to follow whatever they order you to do in order to satisfy whatever they want to let you do it.
This thing can happen in malls, markets, schools, inside theatres, or at home, which are just random places that you less expect.
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| A guard as seen from the entrance ensures that no one from the public can enter their firearms inside the facility |
Effects of Gun Violence
1. Increases security risk: If a person is reportedly conducting mass shootings in a public place, it transforms the society or a local community a hazard zone. Random people will be targetted as prey by the suspect in order to satisfy their anguish. Police will start to impose warning signs on the public due to the threat of a certain individual or group that is currently conducting violence in public.
2. Public scandal: Public officials will be on a hot seat from numerous critics due to their lack of awareness about the issue on a mass rampage using firearms. Security personnel will be placed under investigation due to their failure to address security issues that can cause public outrage. Security flaws can be attributed with the occurrence of mass violence because the police authorities were perceived to be unable to fulfill their tasks on securing the safety of the society.
Safety facts we can do to help stop gun violence
1. Stay away from the unsafe area: Moving to a safer place is the best way for you to keep yourself at risk from any dangers caused by gun violence such as shooting rampage. You can walk away immediately when you hear sounds of fired guns or even bombs near where you are standing. Distance yourself for at least as far as you can so that the chances of being hit by stray bullets or shrapnel will be slim. Being far away from the area where mass violence is taking place will not let the suspect or group of suspects see you.
2. Hide to a safer place: The best place where you can hide is inside concrete walls. It can be rooms made out of concrete walls so that the chances of being penetrated by stray bullets can be blocked by the wall barrier. While hiding, it is best to lie down rather than standing because shooting suspects are in a standing position while they are seeking for unsuspecting victims to be shot. If there are no visible concrete walls that you can go through, hide inside tables, or any big furniture to prevent yourself noticeable from the suspects.
3. Report any sign of suspicious activities: If you see a person carrying weapons that are not a usual scene in your area, an imminent shooting rampage might happen soon. Calling emergency hotlines is essential so that you will be immediately informing the authorities regarding activities that might pose dangers in your community or in an area where you are located. If you know someone who is connected to any government agency, it is important to coordinate so that there will be more members of the authorities to collaborate in order to stop any impending risk of violence.
4. Be vigilant to any friends or common friends who exhibits unusual behaviors: Before suspects are involved in an unprovoked shooting rampage, they are often showing signs of agitation and social isolation. Posting weird comments and expressions in social media is one of the most common sign that there is something wrong with their personality. If these people will pose unusual comments such as messages that could lead to a planned attack should be considered as an emergent concern. You can inform the authorities regarding the observed concern to prevent gun violence from happening in the future.
5. Talk to your friends regularly: Gun violence is usually associated with depression or severe anxiety. People exhibiting a low level of self-esteem or confidence are always at risk for developing personalities that can become violent in the future. Talking to your friends who are always lonely and sad allow them to express their frustrations. In this way, helping to release any negative behaviors can prevent any intuition that can spark risk of harm to self and to others such as unprovoked mass shootings to public places.
6. Participating in sign-up campaign to create laws on gun violence prevention: There are petitions created by concerned citizens as well as lawmakers in order to prevent gun violence to happen in your community. Petitions are considered as a requirement in order to process a legal action to prevent future incidence of gun violence. This includes creating laws that would mandate shops that sell guns and other fire powered arms to stop. If the proposed law will be passed as being helped by hundreds or even thousand of petitions, a law that stops any use of guns will be applied.
7. Self-defense: If you are trained on handling guns, you can be a help when there will be mass shootings that you will witness around you. Being trained to handle guns is a privilege for you to know how to handle individuals who are shooting sporadically to random individuals. By doing self-defense, you can target the aggressor and then start to take fire-powered possessions to prevent future carnage to happen. However, you are also taking a risk for letting suspects harm you because you are already provoking a more deliberate criminal intent to be committed by the suspect or a group.
8. Stay away from populated areas: Disturbed individuals who plan to engage in mass shootings love to target populated areas. This is because they can shoot as many victims as they can in order to satisfy their anxiety by promoting mass violence. Past incidents show that most mass shootings occur in public areas where there are many victims who died on the spot and others that were injured. Staying indoors is the best way for you not to be involved in any sign of gun violence, keeping you to be always safe from harm.
9. Listen to latest news: Staying informed is one of the best methods to keep you away from gun violence. Being updated to any news media will help you to become aware that there is something going on near your area. Reading online updates from social media, watching breaking news on television, and listening any news updates from a radio station will help you to keep away from areas where gun violence is already taking place.