put on national poverty

Headcounts Influence

The continuity of extreme gun violence and mass shootings in the United States goes underreported by the short media cycles of today.

BY KAITLIN JONES FEATURES EDITOR

In Benton, Kentucky there were 20. In Melcroft, Pennsylvania there were five.

In Cleveland, Ohio there were six.

These are three injury and death counts of the over 28 mass shootings in just the first six weeks of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Many of these attacks go unreported in the rapidly renewing media cycle, lately filled with presidential conspiracies and nuclear warfare crises.

The most recent mass shooting with major media coverage was the Parkland, Florida school shooting Feb. 14. Slowly but surely, the other 27 examples of this horrific scene and reason for advocacy in 2018 started to fall through the cracks. If media outlets continue to overcast this issue with tabloid worthy “news,” many will cease to understand society’s problem with guns and the ever-growing headcount.

The Columbine shooting was covered head to toe with 24-hour news coverage that changed the way America defines “mass shooting.” The preventative measures such as active shooter handbooks and heightened security within public areas have also increased over the past decade, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. However, nothing fixes the problem. No one focuses on the horrors long enough to ultimately affect change. Sandy Hook, Orlando, Dallas, Sutherland Springs and Las Vegas lived the inevitable story of intense media coverage for a week or two. Now, they are one of the dozens of historical events that momentarily affected a culture, with no long-lasting change or

Headlines

reform to fix the problem that created it: gun violence.

The rising number of these events, in 2017 alone, has generated a huge debate within America. Including two of the five largest mass shootings in United States’ history happening within two months of each other, according to CNN. Yet, the higher the body count the bigger the headline, while dozens of others go largely unreported. This desensitization if anything has caused more problems in the past decade. The lack of reporting has caused many to believe violence eradicated. This ignorance creates a bubble, in the same way many thought racism no longer existed because the Civil Rights Movement or police brutality weren’t making national headlines.

It seems like a surprise every time a mass shooting occurs. New media cycle, new conversation about a solution, panel after panel and no progress is made.

Even though there is a second amendment, the first amendment’s power stands stronger than ever. The voice of a generation groomed in gun violence is being heard through national school walkouts throughout the month of March. The best solution to the violence is this type of advocacy.

Now more than ever are young adults are speaking up for what they believe in, spurred on by the 17 victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting. Now the focus is finally on the victims, and not the perpetrators. Keeping the problem in the news forces constant coverage instead of being overshadowed by the claims of porn stars and Kardashian newborns.

40 guns are sold in America without a background check 318 Americans are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention every day 1.7million children live in a home with an unlocked, loaded gun

36 mass shootings this year, as of March 2

10 armed teacheres per school in proposed Florida Gun Bill

2/3Florida voters support assault weapon ban 2,360 deaths due to gun violence in 2018

46 children and teens die to gun violence every day

All statistics according to Gun Violence Archives, the Brady Campaign, and the New York Times (Illustrations and design by Paige Ritter)