Gun Violence Control

by Richard Hannibal

GUN CONTROL!

I don't care where you are on the political spectrum, those two words generate a surge of emotion. Then add children, pregnant women, and puppies, and you create a mini-war of factions. I have lived long enough for my political pendulum to swing from being a young conservative, to a middle-age liberal, to where I am now — a middle-of-the-road thinker. This is where I ponder society's woes.

The gun issue in America is extremely volatile, both philosophically and realistically. I hurt with everyone else when I see children slaughtered and cops die. And I am one of the first to have a knee-jerk reaction based on emotion. However, unless you are a politician, gifted in the masturbation of the masses, whose sole mission is to be re-elected, some rational thought must enter the equation.

Just as the world's perilous population growth is a landmine that most folks avoid, so is the issue of mental health.

Mass Murderers

There are two common denominators in all gun violence issues. One, of course, is the gun. The other is the 'crazies' who don't think like the average, law-abiding citizen. We would like to think they think like we do. And, if they did, more laws and regulations may be appropriate. However, they don't. The voices in their heads are much more powerful than any law our legislators could write.

We are a nation of laws and I have been a law enforcer all my adult life. I am quick to say that many laws only restrict the lawful and have no effect on the outlaws. That is why they are called outlaws. This is especially true in the area of mental health. You cannot legislate a mentally ill person into good mental health. This complex issue needs to have the same emphasis on funding research and cure as cancer, AIDS, and the flu of the month.

As a cop, I have witnessed the inadequacies in our mental health system. When folks exhibited a mental disorder that put them or others in danger, I had the authority to take them to county mental health on a WIC 5150, 72-hour commitment. I was amazed when they returned to the community in two or three days with only a bottle of pills in their hand. As a result, the mentally ill person often runs out of pills or thinks they are cured and once again becomes a danger to themselves and others. It is at this critical time where they may shoot up schools and theaters.

I don't condemn the mental health community members, who do the best they can with what they have. They often work in a dreary environment for low pay, void of the resources needed to carry out long lasting, hopeful programs. They are not politically useful for reelection, and heaven forbid the expenditure of funds on such a non-profit endeavor.

So, be suspicious of leaders who espouse quick fixes based on emotion. I hate this expression, but they are "kicking the can down the road" so someone else will have to deal with the issue. The old saying, "You get what you pay for," is so true in social development, be it the nation's infrastructure or mental health.

Mental health must be funded if we are to minimize crazy people from doing crazy things. We must do this, or simply outlaw all guns, blunt objects, and sharp pokey things. The mentally ill, bent on destruction, will use whatever is available. Yes, the carnage will not be as great in the overall scheme of things, but just as great to the family who loses a loved one to a rock or a pitchfork.

I believe in thoughtful, sensible control of guns, but my years tell me the real elephant in the room is our meager mental health system, which must be dealt with in a rational manner. We have a war on everything else, why not a war to treat mental health problems and leave sane, law-abiding citizens alone. There are enough laws to control rational human behavior. I hope to see the day when the mentally ill are treated and brought back into the real world. Until then, I may see you at the next rally when children who aren't old enough to read carry signs, and adults froth at the mouth over quick fixes.