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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Please cross of your Christmas list all violent video games and computer games. Re-think why you bought them in the first place. Discuss your change of heart and mind with your children (or other gift recipients). Learn to live with these "consequences" of a disappointed face or a temper tantrum.
We are inundated with violent scenes on tv, at the movies, in these games everywhere. Are we actually losing the capacity to solve disagreements and conflict with words and listening to each other?
Christiana Drapkin
Rockville, MD
There are MILLIONS of law abiding Americans like my family who own a couple of guns -- but they are extremely well hidden and secured. We are part of the "moral majority" in the sense we are totally responsible, law abiding, and (gratefully) without mental illness. However, I DO realize that there are exceptions to our family situation, and we must deal with those exceptions.
Why do we own guns? Because it's a fact that there are bad criminals who could break into our home while we're sleeping or just watching TV for example. At least we have a CHANCE at defending ourselves. Interesting how the many instances of a successful defense of one's home through being protected by a gun do NOT receive much publicity.
When we have drunk drivers killing many more people than those killed in these horrific Conn. type incidents (which get all the publicity and attention), we do make laws to try as much as possible to minimize such terrible behavior as drunk driving. We don't remove cars from general use.
We never have lived in a perfect world, and never will. Let's attack this problem with intelligence, not emotional knee-jerk reactions.
Great example of open DISCUSSION. blame NRA. SARCHASM
Compared to most other industries it seems to me to be very little accountability in the weapons industry.
If the gun industry was like pharma, oil, or auto industries:
- access to guns and bullets would be available only in limited numbers and strength, limited to the defined and actual need of the user. Everyone in that decision chain, from approval point, retailing and manufacturing would have criminal liability.
- after an incident where 26 people are killed due to criminal misuse the manufacturer would meet civil and criminal proceedings, senatorial hearings, etc.
- after an incident where 26 people are killed due to misuse the people and the government would be demanding the manufacturers to improve the technology to ensure similar misuse cannot happen again.
The pharma, oil and auto industries deliver products that contribute positively to society by increased productivity or improved health. The accountability for the weapons industry should if anything be higher.
Compared to most other industries it seems to me to be very little accountability in the weapons industry.
If the gun industry was like pharma, oil, or auto industries:
- access to guns and bullets would be available only in limited numbers and strength, limited to the defined and actual need of the user. Everyone in that decision chain, from approval point, retailing and manufacturing would have criminal liability.
- after an incident where 26 people are killed due to criminal misuse the manufacturer would meet civil and criminal proceedings, senatorial hearings, etc.
- after an incident where 26 people are killed due to misuse the people and the government would be demanding the manufacturers to improve the technology to ensure similar misuse cannot happen again.
The pharma, oil and auto industries deliver products that contribute positively to society by increased productivity or improved health. The accountability for the weapons industry should if anything be higher.
How can we forgive those who celebrate, purvey, and profit from the tools of violence?
What about ALL the violence on TV and the movies. Look at the nightly roundup on the television, cable included. And the movies also. Hollywood glorifies killing and solving crimes. And our children and adults are bound to be effected by this sickness
What about expanding the cost of an automatic assault rifle to be equivalent to the cost of your most expensive vehicle then subtracting the ~$700 it currently costs to purchase that weapon and put the difference toward mental health system advancements? We seem to get bogged down in legislative solutions when potentially there is a win-win with a cost approach instead.
It is time again to watch Chris Rock's take on "bullet control".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAPtQpUMXQ
lhuntting wrote:
"... we need to look at the entire culture of hate that now runs through our media. Yes, I mean the blaming hate speech of Rush limbaugh and Glenn Beck"
Hate speech is in the eye of the beholder, lisa.
I give you Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton, Michael Moore, Harry Belafonte (who wants to put anyone who opposes the President in jail).
Require gun licensing and registration consistent with automobile licensing and registration. This would mean that, like car owners, gun owners would be required to carry liability insurance for each weapon they own, to compensate innocent victims of gun violence. This would bring insurance compan
ies into the picture, and they are no fools. They will begin to screen out bad risks, people with mental problems, etc. If you are not mentally fit to be insured, you can't get gun insurance, and law enforcement will deal with you the same way they deal with uninsured drivers.
The beauty of this is that the PRIVATE SECTOR, not the evil government, would oversee who should and should not be carrying guns. I think this would fix things pretty quickly.
What a great call from that gentleman who brought up how Americans do not give names and faces to the children and adults killed by US intervention say for instance in Iraq or with US drones that kill innocents.
Ok screener third man caller again. Now will you let a lady through that I have to bring your attention to your gender bias. Three men callers let through. Now women. Now watch now the female screener will allow a lady through Five minutes left.
The screener at the Diane Rehm show sure has a problem with letting women through on serious issues
Right on, Yon!
I write as a mental health provider who has dealt with the tragedy of gun violence in the family, as a parent of a student who suffered through the violence at VT 5 years ago and as an active participant in this safe gun movement. I too have weathered the often rude and crude statements of those advocating chaotic and random gun law.
THANK YOU FOR THIS SHOW. I agree with what your guests have shared. I too am grateful for the messages coming to us from our President.
I care that we get 1) Thorough Background Checks for any gun purchase 2) Training and licensing for those handling guns and 3) Registration for all guns. I am grateful Sen. Feinstein has begun again to activate legislation to reinstate a ban on assault weapons. Only law enforcement needs assault weapons and body armor.
Of course we will always have those who act illegally and I favor only lawful use of guns but first we must have gun law.
How can we separate mental illness from violence so starkly? If someone murders twenty children, that person *is* mentally ill at that time, even if he has never been diagnosed with autism, etc. Why isn't there a "murderer syndrome" with which we can diagnose killers to treat this problem more effectively?
I suspect there are many NRA members who do not agree with the wacko views expressed by NRA spokespeople. Perhaps more reasonable citizens should join the NRA and achieve change from within.
I continue to be shocked by how easily well educated individuals can be Mesmerized by the notion that "taking away one type of weapon will make the problem go away."
I know we're all traumatized by these types of events, even though far more than 20 children are killed in other horrible ways each day in this country. These single acts hold us in a special kind of terror, for whatever reason. And that makes us furious, and we search for a "quick fix."
By the way, the note that Dianne read regarding defamation of the president was CLEARLY written by someone on the extreme left, and attributed to the right to inflame the conversation; 1) the phrasing used would be inconsistent, and 2) someone of that mindset wouldn't be listening to Dianne's show.
Back to my argument. Consider that recent major domestic terrorist acts made no use of firearms in any way:
* 911
* Oklahoma City
Consider how peaceful other parts of the world have been under severe limitations to firearm access:
* Northern Ireland
* Israel
* Warsaw Ghetto, 194x
Consider other commonly available "weapons of mass killing" that are available to a 16 year old
* An automobile (drive through a crowded gathering, kill hundreds)
* Common household chemicals (per the suicide bomber vest, instructions all over the internet)
* Rat poison (school food service is not secured)
I submit that the real answer is a complete cultural shift. Martyrdom is admired universally. Hollywood actors portray these "shoot 'em up and die" roles, then go on to decry this kind of violence. Mixed up kids with poor parenting wish to emulate them. It's universal - you don't thing Muhammad Atta was just the same as this kid?
We need to fix the cultural sickness, or we'll never win this fight.
I have a few assault rifles and they are a lot of fun to shoot. Not as much fun as my shotguns, but that's just my opinion. I have a shooting range at my house. We shoot sporting clays on some weekends and also shoot handguns and rifles for fun. I have thousands of rounds and many hi-cap magazines. If I had to live without them I could, just be sure any new laws restricting my gun ownership will also restrict the criminals' ability to attain weapons.
kathleen: DRShow thinks women should "hold their fire" and let the men shoot at will. I think men in love with violence consider guns sexual enhancement. Maybe the screener is afaid of them, maybe flattered by the testosterone shower.
MI Engineer; You're part of the problem, so go away.
If you're afraid of NAZIS don't fraternize with them.
It's both tragically and pathetically ironic that after each of these horrific slaughters some person proposes that we need MORE guns. Most people nowadays know that trying the same action, i.e., buying MORE guns, and expecting a different outcome, i.e., fewer innocent individuals victims of slaughter, is insane.
Yes! got to fix the cultural sickness, Diane and the guest are only talking about things that are superficial that won't bring any meaningful results.
I know the guns are an issue, but mental health affects many more people than guns do I think. Having been to institutions before for depression, etc, I have seen and experienced first-hand how a person with psychological problems is treated in school, in the general community, by family, friends, and just overall. Honestly, it's quite disappointing how much America emphasizes cancer and diseases when mental disorders are equally as destructive, if not more. With a physical disease, it can almost always be figured out and treated or not treated. But at least the person knows what they have and can cope with it adequately with pills or whatever else. With a mental disorder or disorders, someone can be vaguely diagnosed, but the human brain is so complex, with the rational and emotional mind and everything in between, it can take only seconds to destroy it and years to repair it. I am 19 and have had mental disorders since I was three/four. But that doesn't mean I'm a killer, or that if I had a gun I would kill someone, just to get that straight. Not everyone who has mental issues wants to kill people - usually it's just themselves. My point is, it's horribly discouraging and depressing (obviously not helpful) when breast cancer, obesity, and other diseases are emphasized and focused on much more than psychological diseases that can be treated just as well. So while we focus on the gun issue, it would be incredibly beneficial to our country, ESPECIALLY in schools, to raise the awareness of mental disorders - people can have guns with no consequence, but they need the certain psychological issues to kill someone. And a point to remember is, also, that someone with certain psychological problems doesn't necessarily need a gun to kill people - just take a look at the list of serial killers, etc. A gun just makes it easier. There is no fight in helping those with mental problems.
The number of people killed by handguns last year
49 Japan
8 Great Britain
34 Switzerland
52 Canada
58 Israel
42 West Germany
10,728 United States of America
These numbers are haunting me......what to do?
As usual the only sensible comments here come from the political right. I did not bother listening to the show for the obvious reasons, liberal agenda driven propaganda disguised as honest debate.
Diane, if you can, please ask the following questions....
What type of medication(s) was this person on or exposed to in the past?
Did this person believe in God at all?
Did anyone hear the story last week about the man in China, with a knife?
Does anyone really need a handgun? A semi-automatic rifle? Only if we are invaded or at war.
Is it possible that taking God out of the schools, ten commandments away from the court houses, Supreme Court decisions supporting atheism, might be contributing factors to this type of social behavior?
No one seems to be asking the tough questions. It seems another common attempt to elude the truth.
I love your shows!
djh wrote:
If this is the price we have to pay for freedom, I'd rather be less free.
Then write a letter to the justice department that you would like to give up your freedoms and the rest of us will keep ours.
Dear Diane,
As a long time listener of NPR, I would appreciate a more balanced discussion on important issues such as gun control. The panel selected along with most of the comments and call ins were clearly focused on a gun control agenda. Would it be possible to have the other side of the issue get equal air time?
FBI statistics have shown for several years now that violent crimes has been in decline. This decline in violent crimes has been during a period of time when there was no assault weapons ban and loosening restrictions on concealed carry. There is a deterrent aspect of the CCW laws that are worth discussing, I think. As a CCW holder myself, I would not have been able to carry at any of the last four mass shootings given Michigan CCW laws (theather, school, temple, mall). Do individuals with intent to do something terrible, use that fact to their advantage?
I don't know the specific statistics as it is a little more difficult to find, but I think it is worth looking into the number of violent crimes that are stopped due to the fact that the victim or someone at the scene was able to protect themselves with a gun.
I like this idea....personal gun control...it is a start
If you compare the number of guns per person to the number of people killed by guns. We're a relatively safe country.