PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Firearms are increasingly finding a place in conflicts and social circles involving youngsters in Dehradun, with students and experts expressing concern over the growing perception of guns as symbols of power, status and fashion. While disputes among youngsters earlier often involved sticks, knives or other easily available weapons, students say that firearms are now more visible in college circles and on social media. Some youngsters said that guns are used to project a “strongman” image or gain attention among peers.
Neuropsychologist Dr Sona Kaushal said that rising anger and impulsive behaviour among youngsters were worrying trends, with social media adding to the problem.
“Social media has a very strong influence on youngsters. There is pressure to project a certain image and many do not analyse what they are seeing before imitating it,” she said. Kaushal said that the display of firearms could be driven by a desire to project power, attract attention or establish influence within a peer group. College student Vishnu Nautiyal said that guns appeared to have become far more visible in Dehradun than in the past.
“Earlier, I rarely saw guns in Dehradun. Now their presence seems much more common and we regularly hear about guns being used in violence,” he said. He said that firearms were increasingly being displayed on social media and were also visible in some college circles. Nautiyal alleged that some youngsters could gain access to weapons through illegal channels by paying money. “Some youngsters want to show that they are powerful. Those trying to build a strongman image in college may see a gun as a way to show off,” he said. He added that social media could further reinforce the behaviour, with one person’s display encouraging others to imitate it.
Another student Uday Kaushik said that guns were being viewed as a fashion statement or trend by some youngsters. Peer pressure, he said, could push young people to copy such behaviour.
Kaushik also linked the trend to rising aggression, saying that some youngsters struggle to think rationally during heated arguments and minor disputes.
Psychologist Mukul Sharma said that the culture of showing off has now changed into a gun-showoff culture. He said that the trend has grown significantly in recent times. Earlier, children were often afraid of their parents, but that fear seems to have disappeared. A mindset has developed among the younger generation that “we can do anything and there is no one to stop us.”
The growing visibility of firearms has raised concerns over their normalisation among youngsters and the role of social media, peer pressure and the pursuit of status in fuelling gun culture in Dehradun.
