Rachael Hughes
TW: This article discusses gun violence.
Within the space of a week, there have been three fatal shootings in Liverpool, resulting in the deaths of 22-year-old Sam Rimmer, 28-year-old Ashley Dale and 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Gun violence is a major issue not constrained to Liverpool, yet with such events occurring within days of each other and claiming the lives of young adults and children, this has led many to believe that it is time to re-evaluate the role of guns in society.
Poverty
Poverty breeds crime. Absences of fulfilling opportunities, safe spaces to socialise and lack of education often lead individuals to resort to illegitimate means to gain a living, power, and money.
Liverpool thrived financially throughout the first half of the 20th century due to its positioning as a port and being a key player in the shipbuilding industry. Employment rates were high, as citizens worked within shipping, transport and distribution industries. However, as emphasis shifted to more high-technology, tertiary industries during the 1960s, shipbuilding was no longer profitable, which led to mass unemployment in Liverpool with lesser demands for ports and its workers.
“Productivity was hopeless. Union militancy was very strong. Living on benefits was the norm.” – Patrick Minford.
The population decreased whilst the city went into decline and was subject to neglect from the government. In an interview with The Guardian, former University of Liverpool PhD student Patrick Minford stated that “productivity was hopeless. Union militancy was very strong. Living on benefits was the norm.”. Since then, working-class cities like Liverpool have been at the forefront of harsh government policies that seek to favour the self-reliant middle class, neglecting the needs of struggling cities.
Austerity measures meant that schools were underfunded and understaffed, housing was inadequate, higher education was inaccessible and police presence on the streets was none existent. Consequently, Liverpool saw an increase in crime rates, supported by its proximity to the docks as weaponry and drugs were easily imported.
Hypermasculinity
Another factor that fuels the gun crime epidemic is hypermasculinity which permeates Liverpool. According to The European Institute for Gender Equality, hypermasculinity “overemphasises the (masculine) ideals, such as physical strength, aggression and sexuality set out for men, thereby reinforcing them.”
Many men feel a pressure to perform masculinity as a means to gain credibility amongst peers and partake in the ‘laddish’ culture that exists alongside working-classness. It has been born into so many boys that to be tough makes you a better man; the kind of man who can stand up for himself in the face of difficulty. This becomes an issue with insufficient secondary socialisation and an absence of authority.
“The country has seemingly failed all the innocent victims of gun crime and their families.”
Aggression becomes the only means to communicate; to gain power where financial progression is inaccessible. The use of guns and other weapons becomes the last resort. Toxic hypermasculinity paired with the failings of a government that refuses to acknowledge a city in decline generates gun crime.
The country has seemingly failed all of the innocent victims of gun crime and their families. 15 years to the date marks the shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones; as 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was caught in the crossfire between fighting gunmen in the comfort of her own home. A case of mistaken identity left 28-year-old Ashley Dale with fatal gunshot wounds.
This has led many to question at which point does the government realise that without funding, attention, and regeneration, individuals will resort to a life of crime in order to get by. When you have the power to do more, thoughts and prayers are not tolerable.
For victim support in the UK: call 0808 16 89 111 (24/7)
Visit the Victim Support website
Image courtesy of Jean Carlo Emer on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
