The Connection Between Mass Shootings and Domestic Violence

One of the first articles I decided to look at is “Ms. Urgent Report: The Fight is Bigger than Kavanaugh” written by Amanda Hollis Brusky. Some of the main points in this article are: the Supreme Court is becoming strongly Republican with the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, which is backed up by the history of additions to the Court like Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia; the lower federal courts are more important when it comes to laws and rights for the long-term because these appointments are also for life.

This is backed by the fact that Trump was left with 112 vacancies when he was appointed to office and is working quickly to fill them with individuals who will push the Republican agenda; Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court will disadvantage many minorities and the various identities they hold, which is backed by his association with the Federalist Society along with the many conservative-based decisions he has made since he was appointed by George W.

Bush in 2006.

I chose this reading because I think it encapsulates what a lot of people are currently thinking with the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. I liked how the article discussed the history of Supreme Court appointments because I think it’s important to note how precise and intentional political decisions are. The fact that the author used researchable facts to back up her statements made her arguments more believable because it showed that she wasn’t just making things up while also legitimizing any of the concerns she raised within the article.

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These concerns revolved around women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and minorities.

The second article I looked at is titled “A Lethal Combination” written by Natalie Schreyer. The main points in this article are: many victims of mass shootings in the U.S. are women and children, which is backed by a study done in 2017 by the advocate group Everytown for Gun Safety which stated that 54% of mass shootings involved significant others and family members; domestic violence is sometimes a precursor for these shootings. This is backed by a report that the shooter in the Stoneman Douglas massacre supposedly abused his girlfriend, an evaluation by Everytown for Gun Safety that states that out of 156 shootings that were studied, 36 of them involved a shooter with a history of domestic abuse, and the fact that anyone who is charged with domestic violence of any kind is federally prohibited from buying or owning a gun. I chose this article because the connection between mass shootings and domestic violence is one that I never thought to make, because I feel like the connection that is constantly thrust upon us is the one that involves mass shootings and mental illness.

It makes sense that someone with a history of violent behavior would also be the suspect in a shooting incident, because of the anger and aggression that they encompass. While reading the article, I noticed that the media tends to ignore the fact that women and children are the majority of victims in these crimes, probably as a way to not make the issue of gun control more political than it has already become. The author also noted how the Lautenberg Amendment needs to be revised, as it doesn’t cover temporary restraining orders, boyfriends, or stalkers. The arguments that the author made were a bit of a reach at times, which made me question her reliability. An example of this is when she used the speculation that the Stoneman Douglas shooter abused his girlfriend as a way to propel her argument. Her argument was convincing nonetheless, and it opened my eyes to the multidimensionality that is a mass shooter.

The third and final article I looked at is “What’s at Stake for Women Workers in the 2018 Elections” by Andrea Camp. The main points of this article are: the main reason why women are still struggling as a gender is partly due to the Trump Administration. This is backed by the fact that to every dollar a white man makes, a woman makes 80.5 cents. This is even less for black women and Latinas, who make 63 and 54 cents to every dollar; the wage gap should be a national priority which is backed by a statistic from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research which states that if women were paid the same amount of men, then the poverty rate of working women would drop to below 4% and about 2 million children would no longer live in poverty. I chose this article, because it shows that although the fight for women’s rights had made progress, we still have a long way to go.

I also like how the author addressed issues that fall within the wage gap like the fact that many women aren’t given paid sick days or family leave. The author’s argument were convincing, because she provides statistics to back up the points she made. Like I stated earlier, she talked about more than just the wage gap and make a good point at the end, about how governmental policies do more harm than good, in regards to women. All of the readings that I chose are connected by the fact that they revolve around governmental policies and the impact they have on women’s lives. They each discuss a different political decision, law, or person that has negatively impacted not only women, but other minorities as well. Each of these articles also show why exercising your right to vote, especially as a woman, is so important because your livelihood is at stake.