Gangs In The US

20 Pages 4924 Words

n of youth are responsible for the bulk of violent juvenile crime;
- Most violent crimes commited by youth are committed against other juveniles
- Many of the crimes involve handguns and or drug use; and
- A large amount of juvenile crimes take place after school. (Williams:1992,86)
It is only through continued study of youth and violence that we can find appropriate and effective solutions to end the existence of youth gangs in America. Given the history of American society, one establishing a clear trend of violent standards, this is where one must begin. In addtion other factors such as the structure and force of gangs, influence from family and society upon youth must be explored further. During the course of this paper I attempt to collect the currently known information surrounding American gangs and youth violence to provide a foundation of social movment to prevent gangs. AS a society we must intervien and prevent the continuation of violence.

An Environment of Bloodshed:

- There are more than 223 million firearms in the Unted States.
- Licensed firearms dealers sell an estimated 7.5 million guns every year, of which 3.5 are handguns.
- Nearly one out of every four households has atleast one handgun. (Winsbash:1999)

America is a nation where violence is built into the fabirc of societal norms, here children commonly play with waterguns fashioned after real guns. Here heroes are often perpetrators of extreme violence, of which is selctively ignored and redifined as "patriotic”. Andrew Jackson, the seventh President (1829-1837) is revered as "Old Hickory” and a tough politician in reality slaughtered thousands of Native Americans. Thomas Jefferson, the third president (1801-1809), considered a founding father, is portrayed as an intellectual who struggled with the birth of American democracy was actually a slaveholder who had numerous children with enslaved Black women.
This selective history also ignores...