Mass Shootings And Their Effect On The American Psyche
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-12-17/mass-shootings-and-their-effect-american-psyche
Reaction to Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn., has been loud and swift. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on President Barack Obama to make gun control his No. 1 agenda. The dean of Washington’s National Cathedral said, “enough is enough ... the massacre of these 28 people in Connecticut is ... the last straw." A sense of helplessness and frustration is palpable across the nation. While many are calling for more controls on guns and ammunition, others say we must focus on creating a more accessible mental health system. They worry we aren’t doing enough to de-stigmatize treatment. Diane and her guests discuss the effects of mass shootings on the American psyche.
Guests
Ladd Everitt
director of communications at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Daniel Webster
co-director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Alan Lipman
director of the Center for the Study of Violence and professor at the George Washington University Medical Center.
Dr. Jana Martin
clinical psychologist with 30 years of practice with children and families. Dr. Martin also leads public education efforts with the American Psychological Association.
Comments
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As for me,I`m far more afraid of the NRA gun nuts than any deranged Arab with the Muslim Brotherhood,coming into my life and shooting me or my family. This organization endorses assault weapons to anyone who wants one. The NRA never takes responsibility.NEVER. It fact they got every ATF director fired since 2005,and mask gun murders with fake causes like 'Fast and Furious"
Do not use the insanity defense either. It was NeoCon hero Pres. Ronald Reagan who declared mental illness ended.He cut funding to mental institutions. As crazy as that was,Reagan was shot by the insane John Hinckley....Just one more of the failed policies of the Republicans.
It is easier to get an assault weapon,than to vote... Sad to see my country swirling around the toilet bowl,under these idiotic right wing policies. Right wing HATE RADIO + assault weapons,is a deadly combination.
Clifford wrote: the same thing before despite the facts. "It is easier to get an assault weapon,than to vote"
No photo I.D. to vote compared to a required State issued photo I.D., filling out an extensive questionnaire (form 4473) and an FBI background check. By far most guns, including the ones used in this recent crime were bought through gun dealers, FFL license holders (Federal Firearm License).
Democrats are incredibly fast and emotional at assigning blame, it is a pity that they never point their misguided judgmental finger where it belongs, at themselves and the break down of the American family.
How glorious it would be if we had a true leader as President instead of the divisive opportunist we have, that proclaimed the righteousness of getting married and staying married.
Here is the required form 4473 to buy guns through dealers.
http://www.atf.gov/forms/download/atf-f-4473-1.pdf
"Assault weapons are not the weapons of choice among drug dealers, gang members or criminals in general. Assault weapons are used in about one-fifth of one percent (.20%) of all violent crimes and about one percent in gun crimes"
"No one should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by the ban). Assault weapons play a part in only a small percentage of crime. The provision is mainly symbolic; its virtue will be if it turns out to be, as hoped, a stepping stone to broader gun control."
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcassaul.html
THX1138, Gun control isn't working because we are still lacking national controls that cover all important cases. For example, in a number of states you can buy guns from private individuals at gun shows without filling out the long form that you provide a link to -- this form is required only when you purchase guns from licensed dealers. Your argument that assault weapons aren't much used for crime or mass murder, if true, still would not be an argument against banning their sale or possession; such a law might be superfluous to some extent, but hardly harmful. At any rate, under existing conditions, if a criminal or deranged person find gun controls too burdensome in the jurisdiction where he lives, he has only to get in his car and drive to the closest jurisdiction that has lax controls, or none at all. In may cases, he won't have to drive far.
THX1138, Gun control isn't working because we are still lacking national controls that cover all important cases. For example, in a number of states you can buy guns from private individuals at gun shows without filling out the long form that you provide a link to -- this form is required only when you purchase guns from licensed dealers. Your argument that assault weapons aren't much used for crime or mass murder, if true, still would not be an argument against banning their sale or possession; such a law might be superfluous to some extent, but hardly harmful. At any rate, under existing conditions, if a criminal or deranged person find gun controls too burdensome in the jurisdiction where he lives, he has only to get in his car and drive to the closest jurisdiction that has lax controls, or none at all. In may cases, he won't have to drive far.
When it comes to guns the NeoCon way is failing,as like all their other plans.....Our goal should be a civil society for everybody,not a gun shoot out everyday,even taking 6 & 7 year olds. Having people get along,and actually work together rubs against the goal of right wing radio and tv ,and newspapers. Their goal is to divide,and make everyone your enemy. UNITED WE STAND,DIVIDED WE FALL, they know this,and they endlessly are DIVIDING us. The 'Fiscal Cliff', Secession, the NeoNut`s latest divisive goal,made up by anti-American traitors.
Regarding the recent killing in Connecticut I have yet to hear anyone mention any meds this man may have been on--or recently gotten off of .
Side effects are known to cause suicidal and homicidal tendencies but no one seems to address this fact. In my opinion this should always be the FIRST place to look for these kinds of rampages.
The NeoNuts will now hide behind the mental health issue. BUT WAIT!!! The NeoNuts killed that too... They dismantled and unfunded public mental health too. "Nanny State" ring a bell? It`s all Democrats can do just to fund all the military veterans returning with PTSD. Medicare and Medicaid are under assault....
How much of this has to do with our culture? We glorify violence. Most of our entertainment and news is filled with war, murder, and killing. Americans are fascinated by serial killers. Violent movies, TV, video games are all about blowing things up, shooting, dismembering, and graphically showing people being killed.
I think there are much deeper cultural issues at the root of all this - more than just guns.
Arleen I think your right on the money on this. Add to that the way mental health care has been disbanded by states. No one chooses to have mental health problems any more than one would choose to have physical health, but by the very nature of the disease many who are inflicted don't have the capacity to recognize there need for help. There was a time when they were facility's dedicated to dealing with such people, and yes often they were treated in a very inhuman way, often simply warehoused out of view of the public. Faced with relentless law suites bought by groups concerned with individual civil liberty's states simply 'threw out the baby with the bath water' and closed the facility's. Without being given any opportunity to reform such a system there is now no alternative treatment available for such people. The standard for getting help to someone who doesn't recognize there disease are impossibly high, and even when they are judged to be a threat to themselves or others the 72 hrs afforded and lack of funding is unable to deal with the case loads of people in such need. Combine this with the onslaught of glorified violence you mentioned and sadly the results are all to predictable. It's time to have a discussion on weather the civil rights of both the mental ill and the population @ large is best serve by allowing them to remain untreated.
THX,
You're starting in a little early with the chiming in of the conservative dogma aren't you (and before you become TOO predictable, no I'm not a weak "liberal" or a closed-minded "conservative")?
Your often confused blinded feedback is a prime example of why I have a problem with, and pity conservatives as so-called "free range thinkers." They can never wander to higher pastures than their invisible ideological leash allows. The inconvenient truth is that not every policy result (such as Sandy Hook & unlimited gun laws) can be defended by shouting "Our rights!" (although I'm sure you will try). Sometimes, individual desires and "rights" have to take a back seat to the greater good. And just in case you're open to how a truly free mind tackles an issue where the concerns of both sides are addressed, maybe you SHOULD be reading my blog (I propose a "means testing" policy for gun ownership...whereby the number of guns/ammunition a person can own should be in proportion to the threat of their environments and/or their professions. That way, the citizens in the war zones of Chicago would be allowed to carry weapons, and the George Zimmermans wouldn't). THAT'S called "compromise" and "problem solving," not "reflexively spouting the party line because conservatives always have the right answers!" Try it.
There are gun control laws on the books that are not being properly enforced. I believe we need to try proper enforcement instead of pouring on more laws. There are documented break downs in the military and state systems where persons with mental illness are not being placed on the exclusion list. I do have a problem with the gun show loop hole, though I know Michigan at least does not have such a loophole. More laws that are also going to be ignored by the enforcement personnel are not going to make any change other than to rush to giving up rights by the people that follow the laws. As for means testing how will that figure into hunters, they may or may not be in a high criminal area and that could impact these persons ability to feed their families. These proposed laws seem to be a rift between urban and rural people. What is appropriate for one locale is not for the other. Now I don't hunt but I do shoot for entertainment on my property and in a gun club. Why should I have to give up my hobby simply because the police and ATF are unable or unwilling to do their jobs in this arena. Also I hate the Assault Weapon red herring argument, when a person mentions an assault rifle people's mind turn to military/government used fully automatic weapons where a shooter pulls the trigger and multiple projectiles are fired, the assault weapons that are legal to own for the public are semi auto(similar to many handguns that are available for sale), simply means that the weapon fires 1 projectile each time the trigger is pulled.
The burden of proof is entirely backwards. Someone convince me of the value of legal assault weapons beyond the 2nd amendment argument. Second, the damage to the American psyche cannot be measured in statistics. These statistics seem to ignore that our unwillingness to restrict gun ownership says something about our values. These lives lost end up as collateral damage because we can't honestly address that reasonable connection between ease of gun ownership to gun violence. BTW don't criminals simply steal legally owned guns-isn't that how they really get their weapons?
I have never heard this point discussed: There is lots of money to be made in the selling and manufacturing of guns. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is the means gun manufacturers and merchants use to advertise and sell their products. This is a much more effective way to sell more guns, than any ad that could be shown on TV. The NRA does not promote the common good, but rather the profit of a few.
I've seen many comments about guns (and magazines) discussed in this forum and on other news broadcasts. I'm not dismissing those comments but what about mental health?
I've only seen a few comments about that. The shooter clearly had problems and issues. One person mentioned the possibility of prescriptions he may have been taking. Good .. let's bring that into the discussion. Was he (or his mother) participating in any mental health activities and or programs? What programs were available to him (and his mother).
I would be very disappointed if I knew that the shooter was participating in a program which was dismantled or cut back for fiscal reasons. That has happened a great deal.
My wife teaches in TX. Her school has cut the counseling staff in half. Among the programs that the school had to drop because of the reduced staff were programs on "bullying" and "friends" groups. The "friends" groups were groups of students who had difficulty fitting in with others in the student body.
From what I can see ... both these programs are vital. I'm sure there is no quantification or study to demonstrate that such programs prevent school violence. But .. gee whiz, people! Common sense tells us such programs can improve the quality of life for participants.
I think we need that.
Going forward, perhaps we could begin by re-opening a long dormant Federal Trade Commission anti-trust investigation of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group that effectively quashed gun-safety standards established by the Clinton administration with a boycott of Smith & Wesson, the only manufacturer that signed on. The NSSF is headquartered in Newtown, Connecticut.
http://web.archive.org/web/20041118195912/http://www.terra.net.lb/wp/Art...
I call for the immediate ban of all divorce unless domestic violence can be proved. I call for the children of all out of wedlock births be removed from the custody of their parent and assigned to stable marriages in that family or put up for adoption.
If we are going to call for bans, lets at least ban what is causing the problem. Immature self indulgent parents in a culture of depravity!
Any word from the NRA yet?
Jesse Fell wrote: "Gun control isn't working because we are still lacking national controls that cover all important cases. For example, in a number of states you can buy guns from private individuals at gun shows without filling out the long form that you provide a link to"
I can find the statistics if you like, private gun show sales of guns that end up in criminal hands amounts to about 2%. Stolen guns, somewhere between 10%-15%, primarily straw purchasers are used to buy guns for criminals.
A straw gun purchaser defined, is a person without a criminal record who walks into a gun store buys the gun with the intention of selling it or buying it for someone else who most likely does have a criminal record.
We are all horrified by this event, and I think many of us saw this coming. But know similar if not identical events could have happened with revolvers, gasoline bombs or just about anything the intelligent sociopathic mind can come up with.
The NeoNut`s are correct,gun murders are down.. What they don`t say is why. #1. We are afraid to leave home. It`s how a minority can dictate to the majority...
This "Trickle Down" economy has people selling their guns to help survive. 40% of all guns sold are by non licensed sellers.These are where the crooks buy from.No I.D. No nothing required,only cash.... It`s easier to buy guns than to vote.
Stop with the movies as a cause,PLEASE ! Movies are shown world wide. What the world doesn`t have is the right wing hate radio of Limbaugh and his pals. I listened to a loon station for just 2 hours Saturday. I got so angry I wanted to take my anger out on somebody. Think about some NeoNutzi who listens all day everyday.
This movement to disarm the American public and leave it defenseless against its government has now begun.
“We need to sit down and have a quiet, calm reflection on the Second Amendment"
- Richard Durbin, 12/16/2012
A simple question: why does a Preschool teacher own an assault rifle?
On this same line: Would you parent not want to know if your child's teacher owns Pistols, Ammunition, Rifles and specially an Assault Gun? Then have they respond why? what for?
A very sensitive issue, that perhaps only you have the courage to discuss for us to learn about what it means Real Security in schools.
Thanks,You are a real blessing.
Clifford wrote:
"Our goal should be a civil society for everybody ... Having people get along,and actually work together ...."
Hey Clifford. How is life in fatasy land? Disarming the American public is not going to accomplish that. As for our unity as a nation, that has been as badly damaged by the current President as by any in history. We are as divided now as we have ever been, with the exception of the mid-19th century. The lack of leadership coming from the White House has not created the problem but it has badly exacerbated it.
Arthurp wrote:
A simple question: why does a Preschool teacher own an assault rifle?
On this same line: Would you parent not want to know if your child's teacher owns Pistols, Ammunition, Rifles and specially an Assault Gun? Then have they respond why? what for?
It is no ones business what guns I own or why, as long as I own them legally. Or should we extrapolate and make it public knowledge what medications you are on. After all a person that is on a certain medication may have side effects that I might not want around my kids. Or How about what you donate money or time to, I don't agree with the liberal talking points so I shouldn't have to have my kids around teachers espousing that blather. Do you even think about the rabbit hole you are suggesting we go down?
Right, arm 'the people' against the government with guns. Get real. To arm yourself against this government you need tanks, missiles, nukes!
ecgberht wrote:." As for our unity as a nation, that has been as badly damaged by the current President as by any in history. We are as divided now as we have ever been"
Absolutely! I am baffled that this is not apparent to all.
Where is partisanpolitics today? I thought for sure he would be weighing in on this discussion.
Just look at the so-called solutions. When everybody and their dog is up to their ears in guns and ammo - they create by law gun-free zones, the dream environment for crazed mass killers and tailor made for semi-auto rifles. When this policy is shown to be bankrupt their solution is smaller magazines for those rifles, even banning their sales. While they bicker about this nonsense probably millions more of these weapons will be sold. As before there is no political will, just kicking the can down the road.
roland wrote:
"Right, arm 'the people' against the government with guns. Get real. To arm yourself against this government you need tanks, missiles, nukes!"
That was absolutely the intent of Amendment 2, roland. You think individuals could not defend themselves against an all-out assault by an autocratic government? You've got another think coming. There are roughly 1.5M troops. Even with their weaponry they are facing odds of 150 to 1. Not good. Need a visual? Try Lemuel Gulliver. And, the fact that our military is strong is even MORE reason not to disarm the citizens.
"The idea of closing Riverview psychiatric hospital in Middletown has been proposed by some lawmakers and the governor to save money."
Close the hospitals. Turn them loose, drug them up. Problem solved.