Essay on Tuscon: Who is to Blame?

The public has programmed many to perceive those with mental illnesses as more dangerous. According to the New Yorker, a study done in 2013 showcased that forty-six percent of respondents believe that people suffering from a mental illness pose a greater danger to society than those without. Furthermore, two recent Gallup polls, from 2011 and 2013, demonstrated that more people believe that mass shootings transpire because of a failure in the mental health system, not due to the easy access of guns. In the cases of Sandy Hook, Marysville-Pilchuck, Virginia Tech, and more, teachers, students, parents, and most importantly, the public, automatically assumed only insanity could cause the performance of those acts. Of course, mental illness can play an immense factor in a person’s likelihood to commit violent acts, but pinpointing it as the paramount reason for them should not happen. After lengthy analyses of data that discusses the correlation of gun violence and mental disorders, Jeffrey Swanson, a medical sociologist and professor of psychiatry at Duke University concluded that mental illness became a risk factor for gun violence in four percent of cases. Although the presented facts disclose the almost non-existent connection between mental illness and gun violence, many continue believing the opposite.

Some of the most infamous acts of terror on American soil took place on numerous campuses across the nation. School shootings, like Sandy Hook and Columbine, have started to become an ordinary event seen on the news, which causes a numb reaction in the hearts of countless Americans. According to an article written by AJ Willingham and Saeed Ahmed, from CNN, “...30 deadliest shootings in the United States dating back to 1949, 18 have occurred in the last 10 years.” In all of these cases, the news will give the attacker the attention they so dearly crave and always giving the same justification “they were mentally ill”. This one phrase reflects on all of those who also are affected by mental illness, does this make them corrupt like these terrorists?

“Guns don’t kill people, people do.” This is a well known statement that is oftentimes considered true. However, it is not completely true. Someone who is mentally ill may be unable to make logical decisions and the perception they receive of reality may be tainted by the illness. Gun laws pertaining to those suffering mental illnesses should be more restrictive. Weapons such as guns make committing an act of violence, especially when there are multiple victims, much easier. It is difficult to assess the probability of a person to commit a violent act that harms anyone including himself/herself. Therefore, gun laws need be monitored very closely and made more consistent throughout each state in order to prevent violence that could

Another article looks at the Tucson shooting where six individuals were killed as an example (Kaveny, 2016). While the author agrees that the constitution protects the rights of gun owners, she makes the argument that semiautomatic weapons were not what the founding fathers had in mind though and that these type of weapons should not be allowed to be owned by the public (Kaveny, 2016). The author also believes that it would be beneficial to have to obtain a license to own firearms and to purchase insurance for possible damages along with further funding for mental health patients to help keep these mass shootings from happening again (Kaveny, 2016).

In this lengthy article “Guns Don’t Kill People, the Mentally Ill Do,” that was published in the Townhall Daily, the author, Ann Coulter, argues about a major prevailing issue today, gun control. She believes the problem isn’t the guns themselves, but the mentally disturbed people. Coulter credits the declining mental health system as the main setback. She supports her argument by providing tragic examples from mass shootings that took place in the past. One example was the 2011 shooting that took place in Tucson, Arizona where the shopping mall shooter, Jared Loughner was so obviously disturbed that he stated “If I stay long enough to make the

With six people murdered and 14 people injured, it is apparent that rumors have provoked the violence in Arizona that was actually never present. In the article “Violent Rhetoric and Arizona Politics” by Nathan Thornburgh, that is directive the author aims to convey. He points out that Tucsonan Jared Loughner’s crime occurred in an “overheated political environment” where politicians lied and overstated facts to support their campaigns. Politicians in Arizona attempted to tie the increasing crime rates with illegal immigration and by mentioning stories of beheadings in the desert. In doing so, it was revealed that there was no evidence or statistical data to support that claim. It is believed that Congress Woman Gabrielle Giffords was targeted

The article titled New Oklahoma Law Seeks to Keep Guns from Dangerously Mentally Ill by Jennifer Palmer highlights that mentally ill individuals have not been previously denied gun licenses during background checks. This might however change if a state law seeking to deny people who are mentally ill an opportunity to own a gun is fully implemented. The new law requires applicant’s information on mental incompetence to be included in a national database, which should be made accessible to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations and gun dealers. Implementing the new law will give courts the authority to provide mental status information of individual’s seeking gun ownership to law enforcement agencies. The author however notes that Federal law prohibits individuals with mental illnesses from buying firearms. The law requiring mentally ill people to be denied gun license is based on the understanding that allowing mentally incompetent people to buy guns undermines the

Furthermore, mental illness is turning out to be a major cause of gun violence, in order to reduce gun crimes and instead of creating more laws and stipulations, steps must be taken. A professor at the University of Virginia and clinical psychologist, Dewey G. Cornell stated, ''We need to focus on prevention more broadly, before the violence, to have a real impact.'' (qtd. In Broader Approach). Some interpret that as, Americans need to stop focusing on the laws, and start realizing that dangerous situations, such as a mass shooting, can be prevented by recognizing the signs. Countless individuals are beginning to share his feelings. Some mentally ill people are starting to have a major part in mass shootings and those

Kevin McCullough’s article, “When Women Shoot Up Planned Parenthood“ (2015) argues in defense of gun ownership when it is allegedly assaulted by the president and the media. McCullough supports his belief his personal feelings and background as a conservative Republican who supports gun ownership. He hopes to berate his opponents in order to reaffirm the belief that gun ownership must be more commonly accepted and that mentally unstable individuals should not have access to them. The columnist speaks in a sarcastic, condescending tone, which supports that he is ideally speaking to people with similar conservative beliefs that wish to push their gun ownership agenda. In this article, McCullough takes a tragic incidence in the history of Planned

The New gun laws should be to make people responsible for allowing guns to meet the hands of people with mental illnesses. Gun show owners as well as the dealers at these gun shows should fall under federal crime laws for breaking these laws with stricter punishments. The parents, or owners of these guns that fall under the hands of these crazed gunmen should be at fault/ liable, and should also be punished to full extent of the law for being so irresponsible. These actions would save so many innocent lives. This should be the focus of these new gun laws, rather than regulations on guns. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.

Aaron Alexis’s case could have been avoided if gun laws had been more reliable. Investigators believe that the victims of Aaron Alexis, the navy yard shooter, were selected at random because there was no evidence that a single event triggered Alexis’s violent outburst. Alexis shot twelve people with no indication of a motive. (Hermann) What he did have, though, was a mental illness. He had showed signs of psychosis, but never received any treatment. (Tanfani) Police knew about his delusions and were worried about them; however, there were no reports that he had been hospitalized, although he spent time in the Veterans Affairs Hospital for Insomnia. When doctors there asked if he was depressed or suicidal, he said no.

By pulling information from previous shootings such as the Roseburg, Tucson, and the Navy Yard shooting as well as psychiatric statistics like how “Schizophrenia affects about 1 percent of the population,” Krauthammer challenges the delicate and highly disputable subject of the current gun regulations. With the mention of the unyielding American stance on gun laws and the shootings at Roseburg, Tucson, and the Navy Yard, he expects the audience to have a deep understanding of America “with its traditions, public sentiment and, most importantly, Second Amendment, them’s fightin’ words,” and the recent succession of shootings nationwide. Krauthammer provides information on the political action taken by President Obama before he proceeds to present

With mental illness identified as a very probable cause of these shootings, it is critical that the evidently poor and ineffective clinical help for mental disorders be reevaluated. A theoretical explanation for the modern prevalence of mental illness could be the increasingly optional nature of treatment: therapy is a choice, and checking into a facility or institution is

Since the late 1970’s, there has been a strong correlation between mental health disorders and the perpetrators of mass shootings. “Up to 60% of the perpetrators have displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions and depression before committing their crimes” (Metzl & Macleish, 2015). In the case of Adam Lanza, infamously known for the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the history of his mental illnesses is quite extensive. However, it has been discovered that when it comes to mental illnesses, it is not influenced by one factor, but rather many factors that have integrated into the individual’s life (Sue, 2014). These factors began affecting Lanza’s life at only two years old, continuing throughout his lifetime until his heinous act of murder at the age of twenty. Throughout his

The headlines are dramatic and communities are stunned as it reads “Shooter kills 23 children at a school near you.” The first thought that rushes to the head is “this is crazy.” Or, that individual must be out of his or her mind. Upon further investigation, it is determined that the shooter has had a long record of mental illness. This situation could have been avoided, if that individual had the covered healthcare. As a result, random shootings would be curtailed. In retrospect, this care could have been provided for by families and caregivers, if