Ms. Shands
English 5c
12 Feb. 2013
Essay
Youth and anti-violence activist Andre Mitchell states, “We in the movement have been talking about gun violence- as a health issue, not a public safety issue--for a long time.” Gun violence is never the answer to anything. Gun violence is caused by many things for example bullying, the media and the availability of guns show how easy it is to get a gun these days.
Nick Gillespie, the editor-in-chief of Reason Magazine, is a writer whose articles and editorials have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and National Review. In the essay, “Bullying Can Lead to School Shootings” (1999), Gillespie argues that many students are harassed and bullied by their peers at school. Gillespie states that, “I used to imagine bringing weaponry to school and making the f@#$% that made my life miserable beg for mercy.” This explains why students would bring guns to school for revenge; they feel like that’s the only way to get back at someone. The question is whether schools tend to care about student feelings or ending the bullying somehow. Gillespie asserts that all students walk, “with their heads down, because if they looked up they’d get beat down into lockers and get called ‘fag’.” Perhaps teachers do not really understand exactly the anger and frustrations such abuse would cause. Some people need to wake up and see what’s in front of them. They ignore all the signs and think everything is alright. Students mostly experience bullying from their peers at school; however bullying should not be used as an excuse for school shooting. Putting so much emphasis on the danger of harassment causes society to turn the shooter into the victims.
Paul keegan, in the article, “Violence in Video Games and other Media Can Lead to School Shooting” argues that video games and media are the main causes of school shootings. Keegan states that, “The people playing these games are at risk of