Mass shooting are a growing problem in the United States of America. Many believe that if guns
were banned that there would be less mass shootings and less gun violence. However that is the
exact opposite. Ever since there have been bans on certain guns and regulations towards them,
there has been big spike in shootings. Although most of the perpetrators end up taking their own
lives. Because of this the government has not been able to pinpoint a specific motive behind the

recent shootings.

The latest school shooting in a Florida high school left 17 dead. Melissa Falkowski said, “Our
government has failed us.” The man accused of the shooting was 19 year old, Nikolas Cruz, had
previously been expelled from that school. the FBI received a warning that Nikolas Cruz was at
risk of committing a school shooting. On September 25 2017 a YouTuber tipped off the FBI
saying that Cruz had posted a comment on a YouTube video saying, “ I am a going to be a
professional school shooter.” The FBI never followed up on it. The friend also informed them of
Cruz’ gun ownership and his desire to kill people. FBI director Christopher Ray says they are
still investigating the facts.

The shooting couldn’t have been prevented by gun control. It could’ve been stopped by
the FBI if they had just followed protocol. The protocol was that it should have been treated as a
threat to life situation. Christopher Ray admitted to the FBI not following protocol.
Another instance of a shooting is the Texas church massacre. A man wearing all black
tactical gear walked into a church and opened fire. The shooter, Devin Patrick Kelly, was
investigated for sexual assault in 2013 but the charges were dropped. He was also caught trying
to sneak guns on to his military base but was relieved of charges. Also he was convicted of two
charges of domestic assault.
In both of these shootings the suspects had mental illnesses. In fact Kelly escaped from
his mental health facility in New Mexico on June 13, 2012. Had the government agencies done
their job and accurately input Kelly’s information he never would have had legal access to a gun.
In both of these cases had the current gun control laws been correctly enforced these tragedies
could have been prevented. There should be gun control for people with previous violent
charges, mental issues and the government should look closer at tips and warnings.