On 12th June 2016, Omar Mateen attacked a famous gay nightclub killing approximately 50 people while also injuring 53 more in Florida. As such, this incident became the deadliest mass shooting incidence in the history of the United States. According to reports, law enforcement agencies have investigated Omar for potential links to terrorism twice in the past without making conclusive findings. The event was heartbreaking to many people including President Obama who ordered all flags in the White House to be flown halfway to pay respect to the victims.
A statement from his father claimed that Omar was infuriated by seeing two men kissing in Miami. As a result, most people believe that this anti-gay fury may have prompted the massacre.
The case above serves as evidence to the fact that the United States of America is experiencing a rapid escalation of similar mayhems. A thorough analysis of the statistics indicates that the recent years have seen an increase in the number of victims dying in different gun-related incidents.
That is to say that mass shootings are only one of the form of gun-related incidents that are currently becoming rampant in nature. Innocent persons are dying at the hands of wrongdoers who do not care about the welfare of others. In the real sense, gun-related incidents are not unique to the United States of America alone. On the contrary, this form of social vice has become a global concern because countries such as Belgium, Kenya, France, and the United Kingdom have also served lost numerous innocent lives.
Gunmen have attacked cities such as Paris, Brussels, London, and Nairobi at some point killing hundreds of innocent citizens.
When considering the case of the United States, it is harmless to state that the federal government has been on the front line not only preventing and fighting these criminals, but also in reaffirming the roles and duties of Homeland Security. In this case, the political figureheads and the heads of the department have come out strongly to remind the world about the monumental achievements attained by Homeland Security over the years. A key target and achievement that the department is accredited for continuously achieving includes keeping everyone in the nation safe at all times. In this regard, Homeland Security undertakes and oversees the devising of new policy as well as the formulation of effective preventive and intervention tactics that ease the fight against crime and terrorism. Homeland Security is a department that targets the safeguarding of the freedoms and rights that the American nationals have enjoyed since the founding of their great nation.
However, people who understand the duties and functions of the department are yet to find amicable answers to queries concerning the ever-increasing mass shootings in the area under its influence. In the real sense, the dominant question in most people’s mind concerns whether the efforts of the department are enough to combat this form of internal threat. People may correctly state that Homeland Security has attained a remarkable success because the U.S has not faced another calamity similar to the infamous 9/11 disaster. Nevertheless, the recent rise in the number of internal threats indicates that terrorists and criminals are feeling much heat externally than internally. It is a realization showing that the department is targeting external threats including ISIL while overlooking the enemy within. Hence, it is innocuous to state that Homeland Security must target the enemy within if it is to succeed in keeping all Americans safe.
The Serious Problem of Mass Shooting in the United States. (2023, Jan 12). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-serious-problem-of-mass-shooting-in-the-united-states/