Gun violence can occur at any time and be committed by anyone, which makes it a very random, albeit common, occurrence. While gun violence can target single persons, mass shootings have become a recent phenomenon and one that strikes fear in to the hearts of millions. According to James Alan Fox and Monica J. DeLateur, there are five main causes of gun violence, and specifically mass shootings, including: revenge, power, loyalty, terror, and profit (127). Typically, it is a combination of two or more of the above reasons that lead to gun violence. However, according to Fox and DeLateur, “Among these types, revenge motivation is, by far, the most commonplace. Mass murderers often see themselves as victims – victims of injustice. They seek payback for what they perceive to be unfair treatment by targeting those they hold responsible for their misfortunes. Most often, the ones to be punished are family members or coworkers” (127). This adds a lot of context to why gun violence is so commonplace in America. Revenge is a feeling felt by many people at one point or another, but in America, taking those feelings of revenge to the extreme is possible due to the availability of guns and ammunition. Now, instead of just one or two people being murdered by the hands of a firearm, Americans are dying in record numbers due to mass shootings. Part of this is due to the above five reasons for gun violence, but part of it is also due in part to the availability of firearms that are seemingly made for more than just personal defense. Semi-automatic assault rifles are stocked on shelves nationwide in a number of stores. The right to bear arms is quickly turning in to an opportunity to kill based on raw emotion and it has become a major problem for America. Now that some of the causes of gun violence…
