Introduction
Cleveland was founded in 1796 and is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Cleveland is Ohio’s second-largest city. Manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare are among its economic sectors. Cleveland’s history is replete with lofty achievements, such as the development of the iron, steel, and oil industries and an exceptional transportation network of railroads and waterways. Gun violence in Cleveland has had an impact on both lives and economic growth. Every day, I think about Cleveland’s gun violence. Gun violence is a public health crisis, a political crisis, and, ultimately, an economic crisis. Not only is it expensive in terms of law enforcement, physical and mental healthcare, and other apparent costs, but it also jeopardizes Cleveland’s and the state of Ohio’s efforts to rebuild the population and improve the environment required for businesses and people to thrive.
Discussion
The understanding of gun violence is evolving and is expected to gain momentum as it garners more attention. Multiple factors, including social, political, economic, cultural, political, legal, governmental, and demographic, contribute to gun violence. There is widespread agreement that gun violence impedes achieving and maintaining positive social and economic outcomes and producing and attracting successful and productive citizens. A country’s economy is vulnerable to the effects of gun violence in a number of different ways. In addition to being a community issue, gun violence poses a significant threat to Cleveland’s economic development. According to Shingler (2022), if you run a company whose mission is to make people feel safe, and those people don’t feel safe, your business will suffer because fewer people will renew their leases.
The presence and the use of firearms significantly changes the social environment. In addition to significant physical injuries, gun violence can result in mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and PSTD. Besides that, it may increase the likelihood of substance abuse. Typically, gun violence erodes people’s trust in one another, diminishing a community’s cohesiveness. Recreational or sporting subcultures, such as hunting, target shooting, and competition shooting, reveal the values, traditions, and ways of life that gun users consider part of their cultural heritage (Boine et al., 2020). Possession of a firearm for self-defense is associated with a wide range of symbolic meanings, including personal identity, masculinity, power, freedom, racial attitudes, and perceptions of government threat (Boine et al., 2020).
A report summarizing violence and injury trends in Cleveland from 2017-2018 found that hospital visits related to gunshot wounds increased by 76% between 2019 and 2020. Black males in Cleveland between 18 and 19 were disproportionately impacted by gun violence (“Violence & Injury Data Report 2017-2021,” n.d., p. 1). The government should act in response to these numbers because firearms account for the vast majority of violent deaths. People who own firearms tend to be politically engaged because they feel a sense of community and personal stake in the issue. Assault weapons exacerbate tensions between police and potentially violent individuals. Gang members who have access to the internet are better able to control their image and harass victims. There are plenty of places on the internet where people can act rudely or spread false information. Opportunities and threats are out of the community’s control. Therefore, they must take reactive action after the opportunity or threat has presented itself to take advantage of or alleviate the threat.
Conclusion
To sum up, gun violence hinders local advancement and hampers economic growth. It hurts everyone in a community in some way, whether by making people less likely to take part in community events, slowing economic development, or reducing funding for essential services like public safety, health care, and education. A community cannot be formed without first addressing safety and violence issues. It is the backbone of every society, making it the most challenging factor in achieving desirable results in health, housing, education, and other areas.
References
Boine, C., Siegel, M., Ross, C., Fleegler, E. W., & Alcorn, T. (2020). What is gun culture? Cultural variations and trends across the United States. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7(1). Web.
Shingler, D. (2022). Gun violence endangers Northeast Ohio’s health and economic growth. Crain’s Cleveland Business. Web.
Violence & Injury Data Report 2017-2021. (n.d.). Cleveland Department of Public Health, 7. Web.