Why is gun violence more likely to occur in urban areas?
Generally, gun violence in America is posed as an urban problem.
There are many contributing factors to gun related violence in any
area but large poor urban centers have the highest rates of murders
and acts of violence by gun and are often portrayed as areas of
breeding crime and violence. Disadvantage in urban communities
tends to be the leading cause of gun violence and crime.
One major issue is extreme poverty in urban areas combined
with higher costs of living (urban education). Lack of employment
in urban areas tends to be the root cause of poverty. Higher
unemployment rates increase poverty, which leads to more crime
due to depression associated with being unemployed. Poverty can
lead to high levels of stress that can result in individuals
committing theft, robbery and other violent acts. (poverty and
crime). The desperation that comes with poverty eventually gives
rise to anger and forces
people to take extreme steps, making them get involved in
criminal activities. In fact, a large number of individuals take to
crime to satiate their never-ending craving for money.
The lack of education in urban areas contributes to the increased
crime rate. Lack of employment stems from a lack of education.
School is not a possibility for those whose families don't make
enough to provide even the bare essentials. As a result, few
progress. Overcrowded classrooms, outdated and meager
resources, run down buildings and insufficient funding
play a major role in the reason education is so poor in urban
schools (urban education). As a result of these factors, teachers are
discouraged from working in these schools and a lack of quality
teachers affects a students achievement. Without proper education,
the possibility of being able to earn a decent income is very
unlikely. As a result, individuals will resort to committing crime.
Students who do not finish high school are more likely to
be unemployed. In studies, the graduation rate has been estimated
to be anywhere from 66% to 88% in non urban schools. In urban
schools, it's estimated to be from 50% to 80% in recent years.
(dropout rates)
Another significant reason for gun violence in urban
communities is gang affiliation. "Most gangs are part of the urban,
inner city and many families in these areas suffer from bleak
unemployment, violence and disparity" (crime causes). Social
disorganization in many urban communities leads to
the decline in housing, employment opportunities and school. An
education becomes less important because of the bleak
employment outlook. Therefore, school is seen as unimportant.
Gang activities tend to pull members away from any attachment,
commitment or involvement in school activities. Gang related
crimes account for over half of the crimes committed in urban
communities. Of those, over 80% were conducted with illegally
obtained firearms consisting of crimes ranging from murder,
robbery, theft and assault. In addition, gangs allow young people
from low economic areas with few legitimate employment
opportunities the ability to make money from illegitimate
opportunities like drug selling, robberies and even
burglaries. The final reason as to why crime is more likely to occur
in urban centers is a lack of family value. Often, people growing
up on urban areas come from broken homes or do not have stable
family support. "If you grow up not having family support such as
not having both a mother and father you are more likely to be
involved in criminal action". (disorganized urban areas). When
children have little or no family support they are not taught
right from wrong from their parents and they feel they need to get
support elsewhere, such as gangs. If family values aren't
established at a young age by parents, children will most likely
grow up not knowing the differences between good and bad.
In conclusion, crime and violence can and does occur just
about anywhere. However, studies have proved that crime occurs
more often in urban areas. There are many reasons and
explanations for committing crime. The common factors that urban
communities share is economic struggle, unemployment rates,
poor education and lack of family values.
