Are domestic violence and mass shootings somehow connected?
The city of Las Vegas, apart from being the Entertainment Capital of the World, is now famous for being the site of one of the most notorious crimes in the history of America: the 2017 Strip Shooting which was perpetrated by Stephen Paddock and where 59 lives were lost.
Mass shootings are acts of violence involving firearms and are actually a display of many crises in our society. It is one of the most condemned crimes in the world as it is related to terrorism and other types of crimes that aim to eradicate a lot of people as much as they can.
And due to its severity, mass shootings continue to spark different debates and controversies such as gun control, security establishments, and the influence of society and home to the motivation of the shooter.
This article focuses on the latter, talking about how domestic violence can pave the way to a mass shooting which are both heavily punished by law.
What are domestic violence and mass shooting?
According to Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 33.018, it is domestic violence in Las Vegas or elsewhere in Nevada when a person commits these particular acts to their blood relative, their spouses, and even legally adopted children:
- Battery
- Assault
- Sexual abuse
- Stalking
- Trespassing
- Larceny
- False imprisonment
These and any other actions that physically and emotionally abuses your kin is considered domestic violence in Las Vegas and Nevada. When found guilty of the crime, you could be charged with misdemeanor and felony charges depending on the many times have you done in a specific timeframe and the gravity of the offense.
Mass shooting, while not precisely defined in the Nevada Revised Statutes, is still implied in the codified laws of the State. For example, Chapter 202 contains legal guidelines about weapons of mass destruction and acts of violence intended to cause great casualty to the general population. Of course, mass shootings are carried out using firearms and the Nevada Revised Statutes has a dedicated Chapter talking about how to carry a gun in public and the laws about domestic violence and guns.
How are domestic violence and mass shootings connected?
Now the link between domestic violence and mass shootings is very simple. If you are going to look at the lives of the documented mass shooters, most of them are offenders of domestic violence. Stephen Paddock, according to sources, is known to verbally abuse his girlfriend and even has a history of killing animals. Devin Kelley who killed 26 people in a church in Texas was known to be domestically abusing his wife and stepson with it even leading to a skull fracture of the latter. In Nevada, smaller cases of firearm shooting are found in a domestic setting with suspects attacking family members. Staying true to the rampant streak of domestic violence in Las Vegas, there are cases last year featuring this matter, one is where a female shot her male partner after a heated domestic argument.
Being troubled leads to domestic violence and if not treated or vindicated, it could lead to their snapping and eventually their transformation to mass shooters driven by domestic violence. Conversely, mental illness is not a proper predictor of who could potentially do mass shooting but more of the violent history of a person.
Disturbingly, even mass shootings have some sort of effect on domestic violence itself. In 2017, SafeNest reported an increase of domestic violence in Las Vegas and Nevada after the Stephen Paddock shooting citing post-traumatic stress and the news frenzy as possible triggers of these cases.
What to do if you are accused of domestic violence and mass shooting?
If you have been suddenly arrested for domestic violence and mass shooting in Las Vegas, separately, or in any regard, you need legal defense immediately. Having both the penalties of domestic violence and mass shootings can completely tear your life apart.
Domestic violence damages not only the physical but the mental as well. We also like to point out that it is not only the perpetrator of domestic abuse that could carry out such deed. Even victims of domestic violence who are tipped to the point could do the alarming crime.
If you are someone accused of domestic violence and even worse, mass shooting, get the assistance of a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney that understands the legal factors that you yourself need to know about.