Gun Violence and Mental Health

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/us/politics/mental-health-again-an-issue-in-gun-debate.html?ref=health

Category: Mental Health

Level: National

Concerning: Introducing ways to prevent gun violence by controlling and figuring out new ways to help people with mental health issues.

Ways it affects families: Because of the numerous violent attacks on innocent civilians this is a huge issue we need to address. To prevent families from dealing with the loss of others we must investigate the mental health of others and determine a way to get them help before tragedy strikes.

The huge rise in violence within our nation has made many feel as if mental health is a big contributor. I agree that more help is needed to prevent these tragedies from happening and way to do this is through the help of counseling and other sources. The recent gun violence in Washington showed a man who was suffering from psychosis which could possibly have been prevented with more helpful resources. I believe that it is a good idea to get teachers more educated in mental illnesses to stop these things from happening. Our resources need to be expanded to help individuals that are suffering with mental illnesses find new ways to deal with their disorders. Many of these people also deal with post-traumatic stress syndrome which has always been a huge factor in violence within our society. The more people are educated in these illnesses the better we can assess the situation and stop something before it’s too late. I also believe that gun violence is getting out of control and better regulation on who can get their hands on guns should be enforced. Although a majority of people like having the ability to obtain weapons easily it is obviously hurting our society and becoming a major issue. I am also in favor of psychiatric test to show whether someone has the capability of owning a gun and using it in a non-violent manner.  I am in favor of new gun laws to promote the safety and proper use of weapons to protect our society. It is true that this might still not have been prevented but I do believe that there has been an increase in violence especially with the use of guns. I would rather have a more extensive test to obtain a weapon then to have more innocent victims gunned down by people with mental issues. I believe people should be more aware of these types of illnesses, especially teachers, and know how to prevent these heartbreaks from happening.