On October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, during a country music festival, a 64-year-old man with no criminal record managed to rain bullets from a skyscraper into the crowd, killing 59 people. This event has raised important discussions about what can be done so that another mass shooting like this one does not happen again. Mass shootings have become a serious problem, not only in the United States but around the world. The definition of a mass shooting involves the death of four or more people with a firearm. According to I-Ping Lin “In our data collection, a total of 100 mass shootings were recorded in the United States from January 1982 to May 2018, with 833 deaths and 1,292 injuries” (Lin, 2018, p. 4). An important issue related to the need to stop further mass shootings in the United States is banning all firearms from the public. Banning all firearms is quite possible and has also been done in other countries such as Australia where any type of firearm has been banned from public use. Although many believe that carrying a firearm is a right under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution as a way to protect oneself and for sport hunting. In the United States, Americans are divided on whether or not to introduce stricter gun laws. Not only are Americans divided over gun laws, but it also turns into a political divide where Democrats believe gun control policies will reduce the chance of mass shootings, while Republicans believe citizens who carry guns fire are more for self-defense. Another topic related to mass shootings and gun control comes from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Many politicians have targeted the NRA because they are the ones selling firearms to individuals who could be the next mass murderer like the one in Las Vegas. Background checks have become a concern for the NRA when selling guns. Research showed that “87% of Americans supported a mandatory background check system for customers and gun sellers at gun shows” (Kamal, 2018, p. 327). However, the NRA's influence on gun policies prevents the initiation of gun-related legislation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay About 2 years ago, on October 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a discreet man named Stephen Paddock carried out a terrifying attack on a large crowd of concertgoers, who were there for a country music festival on Sunday. Paddock was inside a high-rise hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino where he set up the base of his attack. Before the horrific attack occurred, Paddock carried 23 different types of weapons in his suitcases, including military-grade AR-15s and an AK-47 rifle with bullets ranging from .223 to .308 caliber. Paddock not only had an arsenal of weapons, but also carried a variety of weapon accessories such as sights and a mount used to help stabilize the gun for automatic fire. Paddock also had ammonium nitrate, a chemical that could be used to make bombs inside his vehicle. A total of 22,000 people attended the three-day country music festival with the Mandalay Bay hotel located across the street from the festival's main stage. concert. Filming began around 10 p.m., as country singer Jason Aldean performed his final set of the night. Paddock managed to smash the window of his suite where he had a clear view of the concert and began raining bullets onthousands of innocent people who had no choice but to flee in terror for their lives. A total of 59 people lost their lives with a further 527 injured, not only from gunfire but also from shrapnel and even some being trampled by people trying to escape the endless gunfire. Police and SWAT officers immediately responded to calls of shots fired and searched several floors of the hotel. A hotel security guard was shot in the leg through the door of Paddock's suite, which then ended with Paddock taking his own life before SWAT officers could storm the room. When the name of the Las Vegas killers was released to the public, many were disgusted that a single person who had never had any other criminal charges, willfully took the lives of many innocent people. When Stephen Paddock used guns to hurt and kill innocent people during a concert, he broke another, which structures the differences between what is right and what is wrong in society. Obviously killing large numbers of people is something that society considers a mistake that should have consequences. When people do not conform to society's norms there is a consequence: if Steven Paddock did not take his own life, he would face serious sanctions, which are ways of formally authorizing or disapproving certain behaviors. Paddock would have faced severe penalties for breaking a law and killing many people, also known as mass murder which could lead to punishments such as life imprisonment or even death. Before Stephen Paddock committed such a horrific act, he lived a life of high-risk gambling in Las Vegas betting hundreds of dollars on poker, gambling can even be seen as a practice that many people in the whole world. When Paddock gambled poker, he was actually part of a world culture, which consists of shared beliefs, values and practices common to members of a group or society. Paddock's brother told police that Stephen was engaged in gambling, which may be disturbing to some since a man who committed such a ruthless act took part in a cultural activity that many are also into get used to it. If Paddock were still alive, he would be in court facing charges for the act he committed. In this case the judge would be determining his punishment for mass murder, but by society he would be labeled a deviant, which is the violation of established contextual, cultural, or codified law, so for Paddock to become a deviant he must have had to break a law in this case he was the one who committed mass murder. When Paddock began shooting into the crowd, the first group of people to respond to the shooting were the police. The arrival of the police at the Mandalay Bay hotel to prevent Paddock from hurting other people can be seen as a social control, which is the regulation of rule enforcement, since Paddock violated a rule the police were sent to the scene to arrest him and take him home. justice for violating society's norms. After Paddock took his own life, investigators and police officers discovered that Paddock had 23 different types of weapons with him, including ammunition and other gun accessories. In the United States, owning a gun is considered a right and can even become part of a culture, for example at gun shows. Owning a gun can also be considered material culture, or the objects, possessions, and resources of a cultural group. Paddock had purchased dozens of guns legally over the years and Eric Paddock (Stephen Paddock's brother) even has89
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