The community is very shaken up from this tragic event. Umpqua Community College prides itself on its safe environment and the interim leader of the college referred to Thursday as, "the saddest day in the history of the college."
Presidential candidates commented on the tragedy through statements released to news outlets, campaign events, and social media. While the majority of responses to this tragic event are emotional and supportive, some are political criticism of the NRA and President Obama.
This is the 15th statement of President Barack Obama's presidency addressing gun violence.
Question(s) - At the Concordia Summit in New York, Joe Biden talk about how, "the safest place on earth should be our schools and colleges." What do you think of the effects that the many mass shootings occurring on school campuses has had on our society? The NRA is one of the most politically powerful advocacy groups in the US. What does this say about our society as a whole? How has social media altered the way that people (more specifically, political figures) respond the tragedies like mass shootings. What do you think of President Barack Obama's most recent statement that "thoughts and prayers" are no longer enough?
I edited your comment to remove the shooters' name. His motives & methods are relevant, his name is not. I'm sorry to override you, but something about these shootings seems cultural & one way to combat them is to guarantee relative anonymity & condemnation to whoever carries out this unspeakable act. Enforceable & smart gun control is important, but we start with anonymizing the shooter.
ReplyDeleteThe result of the multiple shootings that have occurred on school campuses have further polarized the stances on gun control. One side is calling for far stricter gun control laws, but advocates of gun rights say "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun". It has put a spotlight on issues with gun control, and made it a primary topic for debate because of the violent results in school environments. The fact that the NRA is so powerful says that guns hold a strong influence over society, and those who have guns will fight tooth and nail against any new restricting legislation. Social media has allowed a more immediate response to tragedies, such as the one in Oregon. It allows for more of a dialogue to follow tragedies where individuals can further debate preventative measures and causes of tragedies. Obama's recent statements are clearly customary when such a tragedy has occurred, but really does nothing to prevent further similar events from happening. The hold that the NRA has over politics make it hard for any gun control legislation to be passed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amelia in that the school shootings have polarized the stances of gun control. Some are even more sure that gun control should be stricter, while others now believe that teachers should be in possession of guns. The fact that the NRA is so powerful is tied to our country's obsession with power and how guns have such a powerful influence over our society. Social media has made everything more accessible, it has made it easier for political figures to show support for different things, but in a way it has made everything less serious, since you have access to everything it is hard to tell what is true or really important.
DeleteAs Amelia said, with every shooting, the issue of gun control becomes more and more popular. The anti-gun people use it as evidence that guns should be controlled in order to prevent these types of people from getting access to guns and killing innocent people. On the other hand, many pro-gun people argue that if these shootings are going to happen, they want to have a gun to protect themselves from these types of shooters.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has altered the time and accuracy of all the details when these types of shootings occur. The news certainly spreads a lot faster, and factual details can surface much more quickly and easily. However, social media also allows people to more easily come across false or biased details because people began to trust random twitter accounts, who can just make things up or bend the truth to convince everyone to take their side, as if they were legitimate news reporters.
I believe that campus shootings hold a serious toll on our society. Universities are supposed to be some of the safest environments where we receive our core education for the real world, but shootings like this have corrupted that reputation. The fact that the NRA is one of the most powerful groups suggests that our society is gun-loving when that isn't the case. Social media has a big affect on this topic because of the fact that people tend to believe everything they see when often times that information isn't true. It creates false realities that lead to serious incidents like this.
ReplyDeleteThe NRA leads us to believe that using guns is okay and that out country and its citizens do not have a problem with guns, but that is not true. Over the past few years, we have had more school shootings and civilian casualties from guns than before. We should feel safe in our schools and in our communities. On social media, people are saying that guns are not the problem and some people are believing what they read. It puts false ideas into the readers head.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the NRA is one of the most politically powerful advocacy groups shows how afraid we are as a people. Persistent and unmoving claims to second amendment rights are not entirely focused around the issues of gun laws and ownership. Rather, they stem from a fear of denial of freedoms and liberties in that should the government be allowed to deprive citizens of their second amendment rights, what is there to stop them from depriving the people of other freedoms?
ReplyDeleteSchools, at least elementary and middle schools, should be the safest because they contain children and young adults(especially young little children). To have a shooting at a school, is just pure disgust. Obviously, many people except people in the South or Mid West are for gun control. However, the NRA is such a powerful organization due to the South's prominent presence. It is in our 2nd Am. so there is no way to get rid of guns, but there needs to be a strict guideline that will not allow almost anyone to be able to buy a gun. Maybe gun manufactures should be limited.
ReplyDeleteI believe that thoughts and prayers are no longer enough. The NRA is incredibly powerful. However, at this point in our societal development, guns are, and will in the foreseeable future, be easily accessible. We need to change our healthcare system to help people who are mentally unstable. Mental illness needs to be more readily addressed, so that shootings like this do not occur. Schools may need increased protection, but it is time to start addressing how to end a society that raises people who are inclined to do mass shootings.
ReplyDeleteI think that our country has a gun problem and the rising numbers of school shootings and civilian casualties is outrageous and for this reason I agree with President Obama that thoughts and prayers are no longer enough. However, because the majority of gun owners are not using their firearms in a dangerous manner, there is no way to put a limit on guns especially since it is part of our constitution. Possibly by establishing a law promoting background checks on individuals looking into buying guns, the problem of school shootings would decrease.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a gun problem although I think the problem derives from Americas
ReplyDeleteculture with the love for violence, being exposed to violence is a large part of the problem because in the media, video games, stories a lot of the time the protagonist is violent yet the story line justifies their actions when its really inappropriate
As a nation, the United States has had a gun problem since the beginning of its establishment in 1789. There have been countless court cases around the issue of gun rights vs gun control. While it is law that we can bear arms if we want to, that law doesn't prevent its usage on other people. As long as society has the option to wield a weapon it will be used, one way or the other. As the president has said, "thoughts and prayers are no longer enough." We must take action against these issues as more than 30 people a day are killed by a gun and more than 30,000 people a year. While I am all for keeping the rights of the people there must be something done about the fact that there are violent and unstable people out there that can have the simplest of access to a gun.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a gun problem although I think the problem derives from Americas
ReplyDeleteculture with the love for violence, being exposed to violence is a large part of the problem because in the media, video games, stories a lot of the time the protagonist is violent yet the story line justifies their actions when its really inappropriate
Mass shootings are awful and are so unneccessay they are cruel and can be easily prevented. When people think of America today they can easily correlate guns and shootings because of the mass amount of shootings we have had this year: 45 shootings!!!! Guns have been a large part of America since the 1700s, they have been represented in media and I think the NRA needs less power.
ReplyDelete