The deaths in Newtown are heartbreaking on so many levels. As I struggle to come to grips with such tragedy, and ache with a mother's love for those families caught in the tragedy, I'm concerned that we are focusing attention on the wrong issue. The knee-jerk reaction of people after a tragedy like Newtown's is understandable, from a human nature standpoint, but it frustrates me and saddens me. We hadn't even learned the complete truth about the event itself on Friday and people were already calling for stricter gun control.
Are we forgetting that every year, cars and other motor vehicles become legal weapons of death in the hands of careless, stupid people? There are far more senseless deaths via motor vehicles (35,885 in 2010*) than guns (8,583 in 2011**), but you don't hear people calling for cars to done away with. No, the underlying root problem is examined: alcohol, drugs, cell phones, road rage, tiredness? And we go from there.
Why then do we react to mass shootings by focusing on the tools that were used? Instead we need to be focusing on the elephant in the room: mental illness. One thing that every single one of the mass shootings over the years has in common is the troubled mental state of the person who carried them out.
Mental health resources in this country are abysmal. I know this first hand, because once upon a time I worked as a job trainer for an organization who worked with adults with disabilities. We battled this issue on a daily basis, struggling with the lack of not just physical resources like good job placement (it's hard to find employers who are willing to take a chance on those with disabilities), but mental resources for those whose mental issues make it hard to keep a job, especially with no insurance to pay for psychiatric help. It's rather like the boy with his finger in the dyke: you just hope the fissure won't get worse on your watch.
Our society shies away from any in-depth look at mental illness, I think because people fear it and because we don't as yet know the underlying causes for a lot of mental issues. Until we make better strides with mental health resources without the societal stigma, I'm afraid we will continue to have more mass tragedy, if not with guns, then with homemade bombs or something else.
Just my measly two cents.
*Motor Vehicle Fatality Statistics
**Murder Victims by Weapon
And no, I don't own any guns! So I don't have a dog in that fight.
ReplyDeleteI just read an article in the NYTimes, entitled "Don't Blame Autism for Newton." As I tweeted already, the issue is not as cut-and-dried as the author claims. Autism by its very nature is a somewhat catch-all diagnosis. And adults with autism can absolutely be triggered into violence. I've seen it happen first-hand.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/dont-blame-autism-for-newtown.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Thoughtful comments. I think there absolutely needs to be more access and focus on mental health issues, though I have seen that brought up a lot more this time. I also think the "solution," if there is such a thing, involves many many different things beyond gun control and mental health care.
ReplyDeleteYour right Melissa, and sadly I don't know if there will ever be a good enough solution, due to the complexities involved. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
DeleteVery well said! I think you summed it up perfectly. Even if we take away the guns, the tragedies will continue as long as the underlying causes prevail.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately true. Thanks for the comment, Katie.
DeleteCertainly mental health needs to be at the center of this discussion. Gun control does, too. The automobile analogy is an apt one, but I would use it differently. With a car, we have put safety features in place (seatbelts, to start) and legally mandated those. We have legislation to deal with drunk/under the influence driving. We have driving tests. We have used legislation precisely because automobiles can kill. Gun violence is a very real public health issue and the NRA has had a very real grip on preventing meaningful legislation. Why is there no assault weapon ban, for instance?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% that weapons designed for war (e.g. assault weapons and high capacity gun clips) don't belong on our streets, available to the public. I'm not sure why the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 was allowed to expire. That's craziness.
Delete(Sorry for the broken up reply; I got some kid interruption.) Yes, we have legislation for for all those things regarding automobiles, but it doesn't stop the stupidity.
DeleteI'm not saying we shouldn't look at gun issues, I'm just concerned that it seems to be the primary focus, which doesn't address the underlying mental issues. But absolutely, ban assault rifles.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Adrienne.
Megan-it is on all our minds right now, and dialogue seems to be important for processing, don't you think? I've been looking for ways to think about what happened and to consider what the right approach ought to be. I think you are right about the assault weapons, and the mental health issue. There were some warning signs in this case, it seems.
ReplyDelete