KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At only 26 days into 2023, the U.S. has seen 40 mass shootings nationwide, according to a report from Gun Violence Archive.
The impact of gun violence is visible from coast to coast, and it can be felt in East Tennessee communities. Many people are searching for a way to cope after seven people died in Califonia in a shooting during Lunar New Year celebrations, following other shootings at Uvalde, Highland Park, and many others.
In East Tennessee, three people were also shot two days into 2023 at a Clinton Highway business. Last week, another person died after a shooting that stemmed from a fight.
Tony Weaver, a clinical counselor at the McNabb Center, said a person can experience a variety of different types of mental health effects after a life-or-death situation.
The effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can later sneak in if trauma related to those shootings is not treated properly. Those effects can include panic attacks, insomnia, hostility or loneliness.
Weaver also said the emotional trauma of a shooting can play a role in a person's development.
"It can be described as a living hell. They feel stuck," Weaver said. "When we're traumatized, that's the part of the brain [the limbic system] that's really controlling things. And so we get kind of stuck there."
Researchers believe that the limbic system primarily controls responses to survival situations, helping people act quickly when they could be in danger. Weaver said that if the emotional trauma of a shooting is not treated, then people may effectively see daily life as a series of life-or-death situations.
That stress takes a toll on the body. Cardiac issues and stroke are just some of the risks.
In response to the high number of shootings, Representative Tim Burchett (R - TN) describes it as "40 too many" shootings.
"It can happen anywhere, and it and it has," Burchett said.
State Representative Gloria Johnson (D - Knoxville) also said shootings are happening too often. She said gun violence prevention is not about taking away people's rights, and insisted lawmakers should consider requiring stronger universal background checks.
"That's something we can all agree on," Johnson said. "Let's do that to start."
But other leaders said they believe new laws are not the answer.
"It's a personal responsibility," Burchett said. "And that's what to me is the bottom line with all this."