Recent Updates #3

In this blog post, I will be discussing gun laws. According to a chart provided by Mass Shooting Tracker, there have been 669 wounded and 205 killed in mass shootings in 2019 alone:

This number is terrifying and eye-opening and continues to increase each and every day. This problem has major affects on both people’s lives and the economy. The most recent incident of this occurred in Virginia Beach on May 31^st, 2019, just 4 days ago. A gunman entered an office and opened fire, killing 12 innocent people; people he had worked with for years. He was later killed in a gun fight by police officers. Both the weapons the gunman used to do this were purchased legally, which has led to the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, to call for tougher gun laws, according to the Economist. According to the article titled, “Virginia’s governor calls for tougher gun laws”, it states that Northam said, “It is wrong, it is outrageous, it is unforgivable to turn our municipal centers, our schools, our churches and synagogues and mosques, into battlefields” (The Economist). He is obviously right and something must be done to fix this increasingly serious problem in our country. These are innocent civilians and families are being broken by this issue.

Not only is this issue absolutely heartbreaking and devastating to the members of a society; however, it has a serious impact on an economy as well. According to an article titled, “Economic Impacts of Gun Violence”, it discusses the issues economies face from this problem. First and foremost, something called “surges” occur when mass shootings take place suddenly. According to the article, “In the neighborhoods where gun violence surges take place, they significantly reduce the growth of new retail and service businesses, leading fewer local jobs to be available for neighborhood residents and fewer local establishment available for residents to shop at. And, housing values appreciate more slowly.” In turn, not only should gun control laws be implemented in order to help the psychological health of an economy; it also improves overall economic well-being, creates jobs, and more. Therefore, as Virginia governor Ralph Northam stated, gun control being stricter to help eliminate this present problem is definitely a step in the right direction because something must be done about this tragic issue. It is crucial this problem is considered in every state and that it becomes a country-wide crisis because it is of the upmost importance of any topic in discussion today.

Sources:

Economic Impacts of Gun Violence. 2017. Urban Institute, www.urban.org/policy-centers/justice-policy-center/projects/economic-impacts-gun-violence.

Virginia's Governor Calls for Tougher Gun Laws. 2019. The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2019/06/04/virginias-governor-calls-for-tougher-gun-laws.