Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Gun Violence's Effects on Minorities in South Carolina

This essay examines gun violence as it affects racial and ethnic minorities in South Carolina. For too long, we have seen gun violence take the lives of innocent South Carolinians as the rise of violent crime across the nation has increased. We have seen how gun violence has had a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities and that neighborhoods that have historically been under-resourced and racially segregated are the ones who are most affected by gun violence. This paper argues that these circumstances are the result of a series of (1) weak gun laws; (2) unequal access to housing, educational, and employment opportunities; (3) and a long history of disinvestment in public infrastructure and services in communities of racial and ethnic minorities. Acknowledging this, it raises the question, what can be changed to reduce gun violence in America, particularly as it impacts racial and ethnic minorities? I am arguing that the creation of stronger gun laws, along with direct investments in the communities that are most affected by gun violence, will help reduce the number of gun violence cases in America. I research gun violence in South Carolina as a whole and compare it to gun violence in communities that lack basic resources. Knowing that gun violence will be more likely to occur in under-resourced communities, I assert that stronger gun laws, equal access to resources, and investments in poorer areas will help decrease gun violence in racial and ethnic minority communities and in South Carolina as a whole.