Mass shootings in America have become very prevalent this year with a high number of them occurring. There have been over 283 mass shootings as of September 1st according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. This means there have been more mass shootings this year than there have been days in the year. This is becoming a huge issue in America with more tragedies occurring every month. After examining three articles that all took an in-depth look into the recent number of mass shootings and the details surrounding them, you will more easily understand why this is becoming such an issue.

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article that gives a timeline of recent mass shootings, dating back to June 18th 2015. The article presents very recent mass shootings like the Odessa Texas shooting that occurred August 31st 2019 and the Dayton Ohio shootings that occurred Aug. 4th. The article provided a brief summary of the tragedy along with how many people were injured and sadly murdered. It’s meant to serve as a way to look at all of the notable mass shootings throughout recent years and show people how many have been occurring and how big of an issue it is becoming. Another highly-debated topic the L.A. Time’s brings up is how mass shootings are defined. They stated that, “Some media outlets use three fatalities as a baseline for a mass shooting; others four. The topic is widely debated.” They end up deciding to use four as their article’s baseline. The timeline included two shootings from August alone, which is discussed in the next article.

According to the New York Times, 53 people died from mass shootings in August alone. “53 people died from mass shootings in August alone” is also the title of their article. This article is another timeline, which is similar to the last article that was examined. The difference is that they define a mass shooting as 3 or more deaths not including the shooter. They take a look at different mass shootings and provided a brief summary of what occurred and the death toll. The author starts off the article by providing some of his own opinion into the mix by stating, “The month of August ended as it began: with a shooting rampage and a significant death toll.” He is trying to show the reader how much of a problem this issue is becoming by trying to scare the reader with data and factual evidence. This is effective and really helps bring the problem to light. Another big difference with this timeline is that it only brings up shooting from this year going back all the way to February. 

The next article titled, US mass shooters exploited gaps, errors in background checks, delves into the issue of mass shooters legally purchasing guns. Anti gun control supporters always point out that most of the shooters are crazy and shouldn’t be allowed guns and that they always find ways to get guns even if more laws were put into place. This article contests that theory by giving examples of shooters who acquired guns legally The article also states that some of these guns were able to be purchased thanks to mistakes by the FBI that would’ve been picked up had there been more laws or requirements in place. For example, “Devin Patrick Kelley purchased four guns from federally licensed dealers in Texas and Colorado. The military veteran passed the required background checks because the Air Force never informed the FBI about an assault on his wife and her child that led to a court-martial, a year of confinement and a bad conduct discharge.” Overall the article brings up some very interesting points.