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Tag Archives: gun control

Ready, Aim, Fight

16 Dec

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I am mildly inured to fictional violence, as is anyone raised on television and film. But even fictionalized, I’m not terribly comfortable with harm. As a child I much preferred the ‘Pow’ ‘and Zowee’ of Batman than the guns used in Superman. As I grew older I preferred Quincy’s methodical crime solving than the gun-wielding villains of Baretta or The Rockford Files. Growing up in and around a major city guns were (mercifully) fictional or only associated with illegal acts. There wasn’t any (visible) recreational use and not much second amendment chatter.

I didn’t see a real live gun until I lived in a (very) rural community. People carried them in and on their cars and trucks. They weren’t in the process of committing a crime, they just liked guns. Sometime during this exposure to real live guns I decided it would be prudent to know how to use one. Perhaps by feeling more comfortable around guns I would understand people’s affection/fervor.

Fast-forward a decade and there I am, in a gun club of the seediest kind in a New Jersey suburb known for many nefarious doings. The storefront facility on a dead end street smelled of dust and gun powder. In that fake wood paneled (no doubt part-time porn set) store the jarring smell added to the uneasy ambience. The faded posters and scratched glass cases filled with guns (including a pink model for the ladies) jolted me into the realization that ‘gun club’ is not a euphemism. People pay dues and come regularly to shoot. They bring their guns in fancy cases: intimidating versions of a bowling bag or cue stick case.

Down on the range, goggles and earphones on, I was told to pick up the gun. Bathed in sweat, my stomach lurching, I stepped back. The desire to learn a skill or conquer a fear is not a bad thing.  But staring at that semi-automatic gun it became crystal clear that there is only one reason to pick up that gun in real life. Knowing how to shoot a gun is not like knowing how to drive a stick shift or performing CPR. It is not a life skill it is a death skill. The only reason to pick up that gun is to shoot a bullet into a person. That is a lot to consider in mere seconds. Confused by the realization and conscious of the muddling nature of fear, I chose to just do it. I made it through two rounds (that’s a bunch of bullets) and hit the bull’s eye each and every time.

I went immediately home, poured a large glass of wine and got into the tub. There was no sense of accomplishment, no feeling of conquering a fear: a heaving stomach and a heavy heart was all I had. How could anyone want to ever shoot a gun let alone own one (or several?) People enjoy what just made me physically sick. I don’t pretend to understand anything or anyone anymore than anyone else. But after my certificate earning shooting experience I understand some people even less. I wanted to believe that (like bowling) shooting is an activity that is for some but not everyone. I wanted to believe that it was about honing a target skill, like archery. Maybe for some people it actually is. For me, it was violent and frightening and very upsetting.

I don’t understand wanting to shoot. I don’t understand owning guns. I cannot even fathom having guns in a house with children or compromised adults. However, I do understand people’s sense of entitlement and I will fight it any and every chance I get.

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2012 in Cultural Critique, Well-Being

 

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Mental Health In Crisis

15 Dec

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During the first few hours after the school shooting in Connecticut there were vague and conflicting reports. The shooter was still being misidentified as the first rumblings of mental health issues began to surface. Amateurs and professionals began to pontificate on the need for meaningful support for first responders, victim’s families and witnesses. We have become much more comfortable in acknowledging the profound psychological impact of trauma. We can look at a (massively media covered) tragedy and think; “ah yes, this will have an impact.” What we have a bit more trouble discerning is mental health challenges that may not stem from widely covered events. We are also a bit challenged in trying to foresee lasting effects.

Our first thought when hearing about murdered children is about their parents. If we’ve been lucky, it is beyond our first hand comprehension. It is simply unfathomable to lose a child let alone in such a horrific manner. The parents’ lives, now unrecognizable to themselves, are forever marked by this loss. Our minds grasp for any detail that we can construe as offering comfort. Are there surviving siblings, someone to motivate the parent to go on? And then we remember that while it is a gift to survive it is a burden as well. The siblings, no matter their age, will forever be survivors. They will feel that label and internalize it in varied ways. Even siblings not yet born will wear that identity. It could color (and potentially burden) their entire lives.

Similar survivor issues may well develop in adults and children who could have been included in the count. It is tempting to not give survivor mental health issues the attention they warrant. These people still have their lives after all. But if we’ve learned anything from this (and other) barbaric acts it is that mental health care cannot be ignored. Many will need and should have access to a lifetime of mental health support. In the coming days we will learn more about the perpetrator and the details leading up to the massacre. We will demand serious and desperately needed real gun control. We will light candles and say prayers. And we must, if we hope to ever live in a humane world, give mental health care the respect and importance it deserves.

 
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Posted by on December 15, 2012 in Well-Being

 

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Protecting Those Who Serve

08 Oct

 

Congress is poised to enact legislation to make it legal for military mental health counselors (and commanders) to discuss personal firearms with soldiers considered at risk for suicide. That’s right, it is currently illegal to discuss ownership (and any use of) personal firearms with soldiers identified as potentially suicidal. 6 out of 10 military suicides are by firearm (similar to the rate of non-military suicides.) Now before we all collectively smack ourselves on the forehead and exclaim a universal; “Duh” let’s think this through.

The military is acknowledging that there are mental health issues that need to be addressed. The Pentagon and Congress are willing to even consider wading into “don’t you come near my gun” political territory. The military culture is showing signs it is willing to change. Culture is not easy to change. A culture whose very existence is based on rules, regulations, defense, solidarity, and yes; firearms, is showing some flexibility. They seem to be willing to admit that there is a problem that needs to be addressed holistically.

At first blush discussing (personal) gun ownership with someone who may be a danger to him/herself seems rather straightforward. No one is confiscating the gun(s) or demanding they be relinquished (perhaps that will come with time.) The potentially lifesaving measure being considered by Congress is merely a conversation about guns. But this is the military we’re talking about. There are people who consider personal gun ownership to be a very important part of who they are and of their patriotism. Knowing that the subject may not be private could have an effect on a soldier’s willingness to discuss mental health issues. Living in a closed environment (a military base) one might guard his/her privacy. Living on a base (with a gun store!) surrounded by people openly carrying guns, it could feel very stigmatizing to have your gun ownership questioned.

All of this is not to suggest that there should ever be any gag rules around mental health and safety. But it is worth noting that military+mental health+right to bear arms= a minefield. Any move towards open and direct conversation about military mental health and safety should be encouraged. Could this step (of removing the speech restraint) be the first of many necessary steps? Will soldiers identified as being at risk have all firearms confiscated? Could we someday live in a world in which people with mental illness do not have access to guns? Why not? Think of all the changes in safety and in illness awareness in just the last thirty years. Seat belt use was once optional (if they existed at all,) the words “breast cancer” were whispered (if uttered at all,) the intellectually and physically challenged were definitely not mainstreamed, and many people with mental illness suffered in silence. As a culture we’ve demonstrated we are capable of change. If an organization defined by tradition and rigidity can take this first step, just think what the rest of us could do!

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2012 in Cultural Critique, Well-Being

 

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GO TO BED!

20 Aug

When tragedy strikes it is not the time to analyze. If the incident is close to home we are too stunned or numbed to think. If we are an empathetic spectator it is unseemly to appear as if we are callous enough to be analytical. But after the passage of time, with a healthy dose of respect and empathy, we can at times seek answers and perhaps future preventive measures.

We need only look at the recent gun control rhetoric (the term “rhetoric” is used here intentionally as “conversation” would suggest that people in leadership positions are actually saying anything on the subject) as an example of “preventive analysis.” In this case the cry for gun control is obvious and rather simple. The underlying issue of mental illness and how we treat/ignore/fear the afflicted is much more complicated and doesn’t fit nicely into a soundbite or tweet. But the thing about real answers to real problems is that they usually are a bit messy and uncomfortable.

While suburban or rural shootings capture our imagination (and our horror) city streets and playground shootings are far more frequent. Reasonable people would agree that if guns didn’t exist, people wouldn’t get shot. But if you think it through (or if you’ve seen West Side Story) you will also agree that there are other ways to hurt people. People will always hurt people; it’s human nature; as is love and caring. People with nothing to lose are more prone to violence and crime. People who feel ignored or worthless are more likely to lash out at others. We know all this. We also know that boredom is an incendiary device for adolescents. We also know that bad things happen at night. The only person who has ever uttered; “Whatever can happen at 3:00 in the morning can happen at 3:00 in the afternoon” is a 15-year-old fighting over a curfew. Night brings darkness. It is easier to hide and harder to detect danger. The night often brings a higher level of intoxication. While people should be free to socialize outdoors in the evening, it’s not clear that babies and children should join them. You’ve only to walk down a city street or past a playground to see little tiny people out and about after 11:00, 12:00, 1:00… Perhaps it’s the product of younger parents wanting to be young and not having access to childcare. Perhaps it’s the family that plays together stays together. But whatever the motivation it is simply not a great idea. Should people have to live in lockdown because illegal guns plague their neighborhood? Of course not. But do babies need to be awake and out of doors after 9:00 PM?

Unfortunately this is not uniquely a summer in the city phenomenon. Ask any city schoolteacher about tardy or sleep-deprived students. So while it may offend some or even smack of elitism I will issue the soundbite/tweet: “Get your children to bed!” Do children get hurt in their own home? Of course they do. But if we can start teaching a generation of tiny people that the streets are not their home maybe we can make a difference.

 

 
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Posted by on August 20, 2012 in Childhood, Cultural Critique

 

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This Land Is Our Land

28 Jul

Even if you’ve been buried in sand (umbrella drink in hand) or up to your elbows in zucchini plants, you’ve probably heard certain rumblings of the past two weeks: Where are the statements from the president or presumptive nominee on gun control? Could there possibly be a better time or a more receptive nation to which to deliver a strong message? Are the “candidates'” faith in the electorate such that any poking of the NRA with a stick is simply not worth the risk? No doubt you have heard or made all of these arguments over dinner, at the farmer’s market or in the cabana. It is hard for us mere mortals, those of us not actively working on a presidential campaign, to wrap our minds around the silence. To most of us there is nothing politically incorrect about limiting access to semi-automatic weapons.

No doubt the “candidates” have their eyes on a much larger picture than you or I. But it’s hard to imagine what could be more significant or legacy building than diminishing carnage. It’s a given that both political parties have clever people working for them who perhaps specialize in artistic wordsmithing. A powerful, compassionate statement is easily within their reach. A statement, which in fact even the NRA would not take serious issue. A statement that addressed the human lives snuffed out every single day, while honoring the intent of the second amendment.

What is encouraging is that people, who are not running for the highest office in the land, are speaking out. Mayors, religious leaders and the police are talking publicly about mental health, limiting firearm purchases, creating safe havens, changing the culture, etc. While it doesn’t change our unease with the ear splitting silence at the top, it offers hope. The NRA’s power stems from being a well-organized group of like-minded individuals. Yes, their power probably cannot be overstated, and yes they have succeeded in being just as threatening as the products they defend. But that doesn’t mean they cannot be successfully challenged. Bullies in fact rarely back down because an authority figure orders them to do so. More often it is the bullied, often times collectively that gives the bully a mighty cease and desist ass kicking. The timing is right for all of us to get ticked off and lay our own claim to the constitution (and while we’re at it the flag.)

 
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Posted by on July 28, 2012 in Cultural Critique

 

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