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. Some are worried that this may be becoming a big issue in the U.S. and think stricter gun control laws should be implemented. Others say there is nothing wrong with the current process and present alternate solutions. After examining three articles that all took an in-depth look into the recent number of mass shootings and the details surrounding them,

The Los Angeles Times investigated shootings dating back to June 18th 2015. it’s a timeline beginning with 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. This timeline helps keep track of notable mass shootings from recent years and helps show how they have become more and more common place as the years’ have progressed.. The LA newspaper also presents 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. 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.” If you believe in gun control this statement is probably something you agree with and find very alarming. Both timelines describe mass shootings as either three people being killed, or four people being killed. Whether this is important is highly argued about. A mass shooting should probably have a universal definition in terms of how many people are killed. Whether it’s three or four is up for debate. 

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.” 

Are mass shootings becoming a bigger issue in modern times? This is the question people have started to ask. Some say strict gun control is the only effective way to control this issue, while others say there are better alternatives to the issue. The issue also could be considered an issue of the constitution. If gun control is issued, then the constitution may be obsolete. The issue of mass shootings and gun control hasn’t been resolved yet. If more and more shootings occur, then we may see a resolution to this problem sooner rather than later.