Gun Violence Up During Pandemic

Shaila Rubio, Staff Writer

According to the 23ABC over the pandemic the purchase of guns and the homicides increased by the rate of 30%. Which also increased the rate of gun violence .This year Kern County has seen 135 homicides. Scientific researchers have found studies showing that 28 states had a higher risk of gun violence. Although the only state to have a low risk was Alaska .Scientist believe why the factors and the rates changed in 2020 was due to the stress of covid which caused an increase in firearm purchase.

Ashley Castro, a 9th grader at Ridgeview feels that if you use guns for the right reasons then there won’t be any problems. She explains, ¨I feel that gun violence should be talked about because it’s a big problem in the world right now and should be talked about to decrease the rates.¨ She believes that one of the reasons why the rates are so high is because the law on how to obtain a gun, she says they can add more procedures.When asked about if people need guns she replied with, ¨That’s a yes and no answer because yes it can be used as protection and no because it’s also dangerous,but mainly it’s about how the person treats the gun ,if they treat it like a toy than its in the wrong use but if its used for protection than yes it’s in the right use.¨ She has no fear of guns or gun violence.When she hears the news about gun violence she feels this sort of sadness because she imagines herself or her family in this situation.When asked if she believes,  ¨you don’t need a gun because the police will protect you . She said that she, “ doesn’t believe in that because 80% the police won’t make it in enough time to your emergency .”She says, ¨In the end I think this problem should be talked about and should be getting fixed.¨

Laila Mashawe, a 9th grader believes that gun violence is a big problem and should be one of the things to be fixed right now . She hasn’t had any close encounters with guns or gun violence, but has seen the news stories and has heard some stories from her friends.¨ She explains that , “It’s pretty scary hearing it from the news but hearing it from your friends or someone close to you,well that’s terrifying.” She also believes that gun violence should be taken into bigger actions because how it’s affecting us now,will be even worse in the future.When asked if she’s afraid of guns, she said, “that not really because I’m not scared of the weapon itself, but how it’s going to be used.¨ She adds, ¨yeah gun violence can affect certain people because some have first hand experience and some have heard stories about it .She explains that gun violence can be decreased if we really do something about it.She says that the law on obtaining a gun, “good I guess for like self defense ,but overall I think it depends on the person.” Laila says that gun violence should be talked about and the situation should be talked about and getting fixed.

The New York Times wrote about A recent gun violence situation was the Oxford highschool shooting.It started with fithteen year old Ethan Crumbley brought his is dad’s 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun to school.He left the bathroom and started shooting at students in the hallway,Michael Bouchard

Oakland County sheriff said ¨It appeared random.¨He took the  lives of 4 students and injured 8 .He was put trial and was convicted of¨ seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.¨He was charged as an adult. No possible motive for the shooting, which he described as “absolutely brutally cold hearted.”Officers said they  had been in class earlier Tuesday, “gave up without any problems. “Sheriff Bouchard said investigators had been told that the gunman pretended to be an officer in order to access barricaded classrooms.”Officer also said that “We know by witnesses he was tugging on doors, and we know from physical evidence he shot through doors up and down more than one hallway,”.3 students wrote told the press about how it started for them .Alysse Avey a student at the highschool wrote that “I was in my biology room, just like laughing with a couple of my friends, and, just like a normal day. And then I heard gunshots coming from close by — and my mood just switched. I went from laughing to crying in about a second. We just got in the corner, and sat down exactly how we were supposed to — like we followed the protocols that we practiced, and everyone followed. No one talked, we didn’t scream or anything, we were just silent.”Cameron Chmielewski another student at the highschool wrote that’ “I was just walking in the hallway. And then just a bunch of kids start running at me. And I didn’t know what was happening. Then one kid yelled, ‘School shooter.’ Said he wasn’t sure, then he saw a trail of blood on the floor.My brother texted my group chat with my parents and stuff. He’s like, ‘Help, he’s right by me.”Brendan Becke, another student that went to the high school also says “I sit right next to the door, and I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.There’s like loud noises in the school a lot. So we didn’t know 100 percent sure, but since we all heard the same thing, and you know, better be safe than sorry.We just bombarded the door with a bunch of chairs, desks, everything we could find completely got the door shut down.”

Overall, Ashley Castro and Laila Mashawe have strong opinions on this subject and both agree that it’s one of the world’s biggest problems and should be fixed and so the rates can go down and people won’t have to worry about guns or have a fear of them.