The solution isn't as simple as "lock up all the mentally unstable" or "ban all guns" - both are arguments I have seen people screaming over the Internet over the week since the shooting happened.
And by screaming, I mean, people are getting serious about the issue and typing in all caps.
Mental health professionals are trying to stress that mental illness does not always equate to violence.
Some experts suggest the mentally ill are more likely to become a victim of violence.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) recently released a statement that an armed policeman should be placed in all schools and congress should foot the bill ... by Congress, that would be the taxpayers (you and I).
What the NRA has to say
Honestly, having an armed security guard at Sandy Hook may have not helped.
The guard would have likely only had a hand gun on him. I am not a guns expert, but I doubt it would have been a match to the semi-automatic rifle the gunman, Adam Lanza, had.
Where do we draw the line?
Here is where I am conflicted - outside of killing, what is the point of a semi-automatic assault riffle?If you needed to defend your family or home would a rifle or handgun not be able to do that?
If you went hunting with it, would you be able to bring home meat to eat?
If someone can give me a better answer than "If I want a semi-automatic assault rifle, it is my God given right," let me hear it. I will listen.
I am trying to educate myself on this issue as well.
Some may fear that if they ban semi-automatic rifles, then it might be easier to ban rifles next ... and then all guns. It is a very slippery slope.
But, I don't think that is what the nation as a whole wants. Banning military-grade weapons will do.
62% of Americans Now Support a Ban on Semi-Automatic Assault Rifles and Clips
I wouldn't support an ban of all guns
I wouldn't paint myself as a gun enthusiast. I do not have a gun in my home and that is by choice. But, I believe people have the right to have guns if they choose.If someone wanted to have a handgun or rifle in their home to defend themselves or their family - by all means. But, I think a normal firearm would be sufficient.
Also, nearly my whole family hunts.
I reap the benefits of that - we love family get-togethers that involve deer fajitas and we will drop everything to attend.
Tighter restrictions on private gunshows is something I think our nation should look at
It was alarming to read in the article linked below that nearly three-quarters of our states do not have laws requiring background checks during private-party sales.Nearly 40 percent of gun transactions in America occur through private party sales
I know that in itself would not have stopped the shooter at Sandy Hook, his mother had purchased her firearms legally. But, what about the next time? I know I sound cynical ... but in the world we live in today, there will always be a next one.
So what is the solution?
I wish I had it, but I don't. I think our country needs to look at both issues - mental health and gun control.Read 'I am Adam Lanza's Mother'
It is a blog from a mother who has struggled dealing with her son who has mental health issues as well as the difficulties it is getting help for him.
I think we can come up with a better solution that aids people in the situation that the author, Liza Long, are in. The "until they hurt themselves or someone else" approach isn't acceptable any longer.
We need to work on both issues. Again, I have heard the argument that we need to get the mentally ill off the street.
It is not that simple.
I think when people do say "We need to get the mentally ill off the street," they are meaning the "scary mentally ill" such as schizophrenics. In television and movies, the "scary mentally ill person" is normally portrayed as a schizophrenic.
And yes, schizophrenics can be a threat to others or themselves when not monitored or medicated. But often, when on their medication, can live productive lives.
What is mental health?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mental health is defined as any medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.
I am not an expert in this field either, but I believe that would include: Down Syndrome, Depression, ADHD ADD, Anorexia, Bulimia and anxiety disorders ...
Do these people need to be off the streets?
No.
Again, I don't know what the solution is. But, I know our nation need to sit down and have this discussion sooner rather than later.
