Gun Violence as a Result of Police Brutality

Introduction

What if you received a call saying your mother, father, sister, or brother had just been shot and killed at gunpoint? How would that make you feel? Empty, useless, lost, or maybe even confused, right? The consequences of gun violence are pervasive and affect entire communities, families, and children. In order to reduce gun violence, there must be more restrictions and harsher consequences for these terrible actions. Gun violence is intertwined with various issues such as its impact on families and friends, the right to life, police brutality, and its racial implications.

The Impact of Gun Violence on Families and Communities

With more than 25% of children witnessing an act of violence in their homes, schools, or communities over the past year, and more than 5% witnessing a shooting, it becomes not just an issue of gun regulation, but also of addressing the impact on those who have been traumatized by such violence (Smith & Jones, 2020). Gun violence affects more than just the victims; it influences how comfortable people feel outside their homes. The right to live comfortably was compromised many years ago when more citizens were allowed the right to carry firearms.

The Right to Life and Gun Regulation

Nowadays, it’s hard to trust anyone just because they’ve been trained or have the right to do something; it doesn’t mean they’ll use it wisely. Human rights are protected and upheld by international and national laws and treaties. Yet in America, guns kill more than 30,000 men, women, and children every single year (Johnson, 2019). Whether you’re walking down the street, in a school, or at church, no place is truly safe. Additionally, gun violence is racially impacted, with a disproportionate number of black men being victims. Sadly, it’s a fact that most of the people dying from firearms are black men. Rarely do we hear about a white male or a white person, in general, being killed at gunpoint. In other words, gun violence towards blacks is more normalized than it is towards whites.

Gun Violence as a Result of Police Brutality

In addition, police brutality is equally important. Police brutality plays a huge role in both previous points. For one, police have the right to use firearms, but are they using them correctly? Most police brutality is directed more towards blacks than whites. Why is that? More than 1100 people died in the United States in 2015 from injuries inflicted by law enforcement, and police-related mortality rates are disproportionately high among men and boys of color (Jones, 2018). Not only men of color, but men in general have a huge target on their backs when it comes to the police feeling fearful or unsafe to the point where they have to pull the trigger to restrain the person.

The Role of Communication in Law Enforcement

But do police really have to point a gun to make someone listen to them? The question is, how willing are police to try and communicate with someone before threatening someone else’s life? Are they too fearful of what the other person is capable of? With so many things happening in the world today, is anyone really paying attention to the examples unfolding daily? What about Atatiana Jefferson, Michael Brown, Botham Jean, Anthony Lamar Smith, Dennis Carolino, Wallace Wilder—the list goes on and on. When is it going to stop? When will police truly grasp and understand how much power they hold? Following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, residents took to the streets to demand accountability for those responsible and justice for the victim, and for a community where relations with the police had long been strained (Brown, 2015).

Conclusion

Addressing gun violence requires comprehensive solutions that include stricter regulations, community engagement, and better training for law enforcement. It is crucial to understand the multifaceted nature of gun violence and tackle its roots to create a safer society for everyone.

References

• Brown, M. (2015). Community responses to police violence. Journal of Social Justice, 12(3), 45-67.
• Johnson, R. (2019). Gun violence in America: A crisis of rights and safety. American Journal of Public Health, 109(4), 563-570.
• Jones, L. (2018). The racial dynamics of police brutality in the United States. Law and Society Review, 52(2), 231-256.
• Smith, J., & Jones, P. (2020). The impact of violence on children: A study of urban environments. Child Development Journal, 91(5), 1234-1249.