Americans are more likely to die from gun violence than any other causes of death combined. Mass shootings are inhumane and unthinkable, yet sadly there have been 308 mass shootings just this year in the United States.  A report made in 2015 states that from 1999 to 2013, there were 317 mass shootings in The United States. The fact that there had been 308 mass shootings in 2017 alone is shocking. Some of the most recent shootings were in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, and in Rancho Tehama.

Rancho Tehama

The Rancho Tehama shooting in Northern California was on November 14. The shooter has been confirmed to be Kevin Janson Neal, 44.  The shooting is said to have started around eight in the morning, and lasted about 45 minutes. The suspect started the attack when he killed his two neighbors, and he had also killed his wife and buried her under the floorboards in their home they shared.  The neighbors were a man and a woman, and reports say that they had an ongoing feud with the suspect. After killing his neighbors, the gunmen stole a white Chevy truck and headed towards a local elementary school.

As the suspect came around the school, the children were outside playing at recess. The children were urgently forced to go inside and the school went into lock down. The suspect crashed through the front gates of the school and came out of the truck firing at the windows and doors. Two students were shot, but they are suspected to live. After firing at the school, the gunmen drove away and rampaged at six other crime scenes until he crashed the truck. The police and the suspect had a heated gun battle until he was shot down.

In total, five people are dead from this attack, and 10 are injured. Some suffering life-threatening injuries. The suspect was not supposed to own a gun after assaulting his neighbors before the attack, and even was ordered by a judge to have his firearms taken away after the incident, but they never were.

Sutherland Springs

A few weeks ago on Sunday there was another mass shooting in a Texas church, killing 26 people and injuring 20, half of whom were children.  The shooter opened fire in a church with an AR-556. The alleged gunman has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley.  Before the shooting, Kelley used to be in the Air Force, but after domestic abuse charges, he was discharged.

The Texas church shooter had domestic violence charges against him when he abused his wife and infant son. After the domestic abuse charges, the Air Force failed to report the incident, allowing the suspect to get the guns. The Air Force is currently getting sued by one of the victims’ family.

Las Vegas

The deadliest shooting in American history was the Las Vegas mass shooting. It was at an outdoor country music festival. At least 58 people were killed, and nearly 500 people were injured. This shooting was devastating to the United States, and it made history. There has yet a motive to be found for this killing, investigators are still looking into exactly what happened.

The suspect has been confirmed to be Stephen Paddock. Nobody knows what made him shoot from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel building into a crowd of over 22,000 people.  Paddock is believed to be a lone shooter. After the attack, the shooter was found dead by a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Mass Shooting and Terrorism

A mass shooting occurs when at least four or more people are injured or killed at the same general time and location. For a mass shooting to be considered terrorism, there are many factors that have to be considered. The motive for a terrorist attack is to intimidate a certain population, influence or intimidate the government, or affect the government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

There has been debate on whether or not certain mass shootings should be considered terrorism, but not all of them are considered terrorism because of the motives and how the shootings were carried out. An attack in New York where a man with a rented truck drove his truck into a crowd of bicyclists, while shouting “God is Greatest” in Arabic was considered terrorism. Even though this was not a mass shooting, this attack was considered terrorism because the suspect’s motive was to kill and terrorize Americans and their government.

Finding a Solution

Mass shootings are devastating, and something needs to change to prevent mass shootings from happening. This is where many people disagree on what needs to happen. Some people want stricter gun laws, and others don’t want stricter gun laws. Wherever you stand on that subject, this is an increasingly terrifying issue that needs to be resolved. Until something changes, mass shootings will continue to happen frequently. At times like this, we need to come together and find a solution.