The Solution is Not Gun Control

[wombats]

Obviously, I'm referring to the problem of the mass shootings that have occurred. For various reasons, the usual hew and cry is over the issue of gun control but I don't believe that is the right issue to be tackling. I think the problem is our neglect of mental health issues. My blanket supposition is that the liberal/left (L/L) attempts to solve the problem by attacking gun control issues have more to do with a fear of force (guns) in the hands of the average (uneducated, right-leaning, closed-minded) individuals and that separating them from these nasty means of perpetrating these crimes will solve the problem. The conservative/right (C/R) pretty much reacts to this without really addressing the problem. It's fairly easy to be dismissive of the L/L knee-jerk attempts by stirring up the gun-favoring base and the reference to the 2nd Amendment. The reason the C/R doesn't bring up mental health care as a way to solve the problem has to do with the stoic thread that runs through a core of their thought. I would venture to say that the this thread maintains that mental health is something that a sound, disciplined individual can accomplish on his/her own, without the intervention of outside consultations. Besides, all C/R folks know that counseling is for left-leaning weenies and their ditsy New York therapists. To try to tackle mental health with a coherent, comprehensive program, an organized program, one that would need state funding, is just wrong on too many levels for them to make an attempt at offering this as the solution. All of this, of course, neglects the media and their part in publicizing these events. My vague understanding is that this publicity does play a role in driving such behavior as the standard profile given (from the press accounts, naturally) points to someone that "needs to show the world". If the world didn't notice, these people would attempt to find another avenue, of course, but perhaps it would be either less violent or perhaps, in a more perfect world, trigger something that would get these people into the care they need to avoid the damage they do.

(yeah, there is more that could be written to make things clearer - crimes stats could be referenced, gun stats, highway stats, perceptions of risk, assessments of media impact. i'm not up to it right now, or maybe ever. it's just so disappointing.)