Mental health and gun control: Correlation or causation?
Jazmyne Boozer, Assistant Editor
Photo by Antonio Grosz on Unsplash
The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are solely those of the original author(s) These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Vision website or North Greenville University.
With each passing day, it is becoming more and more evident that we are dwelling in a succumbing world where sin is concerned. From threats of terrorism to increasingly strong storms, to massive shootings…the world is crying out for God. With each tragedy comes man’s plight of reasoning with the tragedy. Questions like: How can we prevent this or what causes this? These inquiries plague the minds of even the most devout scholars. With death seemingly always on the horizon, one of the biggest issues Americans are facing is mental health regarding gun control.
With the country seemingly divided along the North and South axis (south being opposed to gun control, while the north is for it), one cannot help but ask: Is there causation of mass shootings and mental health? And with this answered: Should guns become harder to get due to the rise of mental health diagnosis?
I think that most will agree that there is a lot to consider and there is no obvious solution. It is easy for one to bounce from articles and ideas from the right-winged NRA, to the left-winged Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Each of these organizations and many others bring different perspectives and studies to the table. For me, I believe that guns should be harder to get and should come with limitations; however, I in no way believe that guns should be taken away completely.
It comes as no surprise that most Americans would hope that those who own guns are mentally healthy and stable enough to do so. After most mass shootings, there follow weeks of diving into the shooter’s personal life and his/her mental state before the shooting.
It almost comes in mockery to the public as generally one can see numerous signs beforehand that the shooter was mentally unhealthy. In fact, the Las Vegas shooter had a severe gambling addiction and had a history of run-ins with the police, outbursts and was even prescribed 10 milligrams of valium for mental health issues.
These mentally unstable outbursts were usually after losing large sums of money at a casino. Following his normal habits, the shooter lost a large quantity of money but followed up his threats with actual gunfire. Why was someone with such a lengthy criminal record and prescribed valium allowed to own a gun with bump stocks?
Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who killed nine people in the Charleston shooting, cleared a background check weeks before he purchased his gun even though he had a drug conviction on his record. The Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, was able to use bump stocks and other trigger enhancers to amplify his attack.
For me, there is absolutely no reason that a man should be able to buy bump stocks and trigger cranks for his guns. If guns are used in practical uses (for a means of protection), there is no reason one would need to be able to fire 60 rounds a minute (which with bump stocks, makes it possible). Additionally, I believe it is time to make mental health records accessible to police and investigators before someone purchases a gun. The gun control laws as of now, are too lax, especially in Nevada, where the shooting took place.
Some may argue that allowing police or licensed gun sellers access to mental records is an invasion of privacy. However, I am liable to argue that it is easy to cry for privacy until it is your family caught in the lines of fire.
I am not saying to take all guns away and I’m not even saying taking the big guns away; what I am saying is that mental health records should be a factor of the background checks in regards to buying a gun. I believe guns are a good thing to have as I have carried, but I do not see the need for gun enhancers to convert a gun into an automatic. I also don’t see the need to not include mental health records into background checks. If one is mentally healthy, then it should be no problem to purchase and carry a gun.
