Current Events

Mass shootings, as horrific as they are, will always be reported in the news. Due to these events, it has sparked an outrage and many are looking into solutions. As you can see from this chart, suicides make up the majority of deaths due to guns. These deaths tend to low profile and the news barely report gun suicide deaths unless the victim is famous.   " In 2017, six-in-ten gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (23,854), while 37% were murders (14,542), according to the CDC. The remainder were unintentional (486), involved law enforcement (553) or had undetermined circumstances (338)" (Gramlich). What about mass shootings? How significant are the numbers in comparison to suicide and murder rates? The statistics for mass shootings is a bit hard to measure due to differing definitions of what is considered a mass shooting, but the number is quite low. In 2019 alone, there have been 19 mass shootings with a approximate total of 120. In 2018 there has been 385

image Prisons, public and private, fail to keep up with the growing populations in their prison and turn to the use of privately owned companies to help facilitate certain service like transportation , food, clothes, toiletries, medical, and communications. These privatize companies tend to overcharge or cut comers to maximize their profits. "The prison phone system is now a $1.2 billion-a-year industry dominated by a few private companies that manage phones in prisons and jails in all 50 states, (Williams)." With the absurd prices and fees, private companies like Securus Technologies, make huge profits off families wanting to connect to their loved ones in confinement. Phone companies would pay concession fines to get exclusive contracts to local and state prisons. The competition for these exclusive contracts are fierce These private phone companies would charge more than their commercial counterparts, costing families $15-25 for a 15 minute call. The proble

In the realm of video games, one of the popular genre that sells very well are first person shooters. Its a game played in the view of the protagonist. The trend that most FPS shooters go for is realism in terms of the gun play. In order to get a actual representation, with a recognizable trademark and brand, requires a licensing so it may be shown in their game. "In exchange for the use of their intellectual property, manufacturers would stipulate that the weapons in the games be portrayed realistically and positively. Money rarely changed hands, but the relationship was symbiotic: Game companies got verisimilitude from featuring trademarked guns; gun manufacturers got easy, free exposure, on their terms" Atlantic Article.    So what does this mean? Well, gun manufacturers are essentially getting free advertisement. Many video gamers of the first person genre can easily recognize a gun because of how these guns are represented in video games. Even children who can pot