As of today, there have been 44 days in the new year. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 65 mass shootings in those 44 days, averaging over one and a half mass shootings every day. What type of society is one in which this is a common occurrence and possibilities people have to prepare for?
The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.
This may not seem like a threshold high enough to be considered a mass shooting, but when looking at other developed countries and their comparative lack of shootings in general, it adds up rather quickly.
In an article by CBS News released Jan. 25, 2023, they show this drastic difference.
“Since the beginning of the year, there have been 40 mass shootings across the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive, putting 2023 on pace to have the most mass shootings at this point of any year on record,” the article said.
This is especially true because of the number of school shootings in the U.S. compared to all others.
Last year there were 648 mass shootings, 303 of which were school shootings.
This seems to indicate that the school institution or government is failing both the people who go on these shooting sprees and the rest of the country who are then in greater danger of being shot.
Understandably, this has increased anxiety in both children and parents attending public school, which extends to college. School is supposed to be a time when children are learning, and understanding how to live in society.
Perhaps this is one of the biggest reasons why the future seems to be getting more dystopian every year. If the school system is failing the people who are going to be taking over the country in the next generation, surely that alone should be a sign that something isn’t right.
Recently, a higher percentage of kids are getting homeschooled, partially because of school shootings.
“School shootings have played a factor in parents homeschooling,” News Nation Now said in June 2022.
While it’s unknown what kind of percentage school shootings have in relation to the increase in homeschooling, it’s undoubtedly a factor. Children shouldn’t be afraid of going to school for any reason, but they especially shouldn’t fear for their life.
According to CNN, there were 288 school shootings in the U.S. from January 2009 to May 2018. The country with the next most school shootings was Mexico, with only eight in that same time period.
The U.S. isn’t the only country showing signs of a dystopian future, with Russia and China being the next countries people would think of. Despite this, the U.S. is definitely at the forefront. Not only with the mass and school shootings but also with the book banning, the loss of faith in government and increasing division.
Despite all of these widespread problems, many government leaders are trying to placate people by saying that everything is fine. President Biden’s State of the Union address is a great example of this: whether he actually believes democracy is winning is a debated topic.
Government leaders have to know what is happening, and just don’t want the general public to worry. The only problem with this is that a majority of the public is already aware of what’s going on, and don’t appreciate being told that everything is fine. Especially when in the course of their daily lives they see the exact opposite.
