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Dec. 18th, 2012 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatIs it a sign of the apocalpyse that lj is down again? Most likely not, it's down a lot, isn't it.
I need to talk about a few things, so this post is most likely going to be flocked, but we shall see.
1. I managed to award over 12 projects within last four weeks - or complete 12, hard to explain. At any rate the full plate of work was cleared, there's only five-six projects remaining, and they can wait until 2013. Two are in capable hands of senior professionals, who agreed to cover for me.
So...YAY! I feel like I've climbed the work equivalent of Mt. Everest and can't tell anyone. But I have, I have...just one more day left. Bone tired, but accomplished! Hopefully bosses will notice and reward me for this accomplishment. But I doubt it. We will do the happy snoopy dance of accomplishment by ourselves.
2. Also, managed to convince landlord and people below me to raise the thermostate rating - so the heat made it to 72-73 degrees when I got home. YAY!
3. Okay, Dan Humphries is Gossip Girl? Granted, I figured it had to be him or his sister...but still, this is a pre-teen soap opera and the whole thing is told through a guy's eyes, a guy idolizing and demonizing women? OTOH...he is sort of portrayed as a Dominick Dunne wannabee. While I'm not at all interested in The Carrie Diaries - at least they are in Carrie's pov.
4. Current Affairs...
[Disclaimer: "You" is meant in the general sense and is not directed personally at anyone who chooses to read this. Also, I do not pretend to be an expert on these things..just my opinion on the matter.]
* Mental Health
I work in a building that houses four public agencies. 1)School Board, 2) Commuter Railroad, 3) Housing Authority, and 5) Mental Health and Transitional Services.
The Mental Health and Transitional Services (which is basically mental health out-patient counseling and therapy services for people who are on governement stipends and/or have recently been released from a mental institution, a prison, or something along those lines.
Before they moved in...we has a receptionist, and an acquarium in the downstairs lobby, no cameras, no sign-in sheet, no security guard on each floor, and we could stay late. After they moved in there were two incidents, one involving a gun, another involving a knife. They didn't hurt anyone, just waved it around - and not on my floor. Although there was a knife fight outside the building. I was on vacation or out sick both times. At any rate after these occurrences, they fired the receptionist, got rid of the acquarium, hired a security guard, installed security cameras, hired security guards for each floor, and have a sign-in sheet for visitors to the building that don't have a badge.
IN NYC - sometimes people will get pushed in front of trains by mentally unstable homeless people - this has happened about twice a year. Happened just two weeks ago actually. And there's an outcry for more services for the mentally ill and the homeless....then people forget and move on.
The problem is no one wants to sacrifice anything in order to ensure they get these services or help. Because you do have to give up something - whether it be time, money (additional taxes) or
space - you have to give up something. And people don't want to do that. It's not that bills and legislation isn't proposed, it is, or that people don't come up with ideas - they do, but when Jane and Jack discover that CrazyMonty is going to be housed in a mental health facility down the block - they get in right snit, and protest. Or when they discover that additional funding for a new mental health facility will be taken out of their hard won income...as gasp, taxes, they get livid. Or..when they discover that the government has to house these individuals in a facility for years - paid by tax dollars...oh god, no. Or that our tax dollars will pay for people going to psychiatrists or seeking mental health - no, we shouldn't have to pay for them!
In short, it's rather easy to whine about there not being anything done, but a whole lot harder to pay for it. Part of this is a societal issue (in the US - I can't speak for any other country on the map) - in that we frown upon mental health and stigmatize it. The stigma has found its way into our lexicon and vernacular. So we are reluctant to help people who are mentally ill - we want to hide them away, far away, out of sight and out of mind.
I told you the story about my workplace to get across that point. My coworkers whine incessantly about the people on the 5th floor. And as much as I wish I could tell you that I was better, I'm not. It's hard to share an elevator, a tight confined space, with a woman who is railing curses at you or a man who is bigger than you are and talking nonsense. It's downright scary. When I get off at the 3rd floor...I have a small space, and then a set of locked glass doors that the security guard has to open for me. I fear the people in the elevator will follow me out or yank me back in the elevator. This fear is not helped by the fact that the elevator has a history of breaking down. The ultimate fear is being trapped with one of this people in the elevator, which they've been known to pee in on occasion. I pray no one shows up with a gun and decides to kill people - because I'd be dead. So I use the stairwell to go down, and the elevator to go up (because the stairwell has a banged up fire security door that is locked, so you can't get in that way, only out, partly as protection against the 5th floor. And have I mentioned that I am a big woman, and 6 foot? Most people in NYC are smaller than me.
Treating mental health is not an easy proposition. Adam Lansing was described as shy and kept to himself. With Auspergers. Not insane by people who knew or ran across him. Most of the people from the 5th floor are okay. I have two male cousins who fit that description. One has a version of auspergers. The other is bi-polar and possibly auspergers. Both struck me as kind and just a bit odd. I like both. Mental health is not something you can generalize about. Every case is somewhat different. There's no cure-all pill or treatment. Some react well to shock treatment, some to drugs, some to neither. Did you know that there is an autoimmune disorder that drives you violently insane - acting as if you are demonically possessed with violent out-bursts? IT's caused by the body attacking the brain and the brain rails back. There's a book about this..it is called Brain on Fire. Madness terrifies me. And our society has never known how to handle it. Our bodies and brains are so different from each other...there's no one size fits all. So how do you fix this problem? You can't very well kill someone who is mentally ill. And should society hospitalize/institutionalize someone until they die - providing for all their needs? That can be expensive, right?
Also, what about people who are misdiagnosed? Maybe it's curable? We don't know why people do what they do. And how do we fund and pay for the possible solutions? What are we as a society willing to give up? Are we willing to put the money that is put towards athletics towards health care?
Are we willing to take a portion of our defense funding?
Government is a bit chaotic. Think of it like a big hat - everyone throws in their problems, you stick your hand in and pick one. Then there's a hat with a bunch of solutions, and you stick in your hand and choose a solution. It's also bureaucratic and regulatory heavy - because you are trying to please literally everyone. Have you ever tried to meet all the needs and wants of everyone you know? Well that's government.
So...private may be the best idea. Private funds, charitable donations. But how much is needed to house and treat one patient, or many. And what about paying the costs of the doctors? It's not a clear-cut solution. Funding though is the biggest problem, along with accurate diagnosis and treatment.
* Gun Control...
This is actually easier to fix. Because you can generalize here. All handguns, semi-automatic weapons and bullet clips are made to kill people. When people state somewhat cleverly that guns don't kill people, people kill people - they are missing the point - guns are "created" intentionally to kill people. Rifles, buckshot, arrows are created to kill deer or animals. But handguns and semiautomatic weapons and silencers are created for the sole purpose of killing another person. There is no other reason for their existence. To state otherwise is bold-faced lie.
Stating Guns don't kill people, people kill people is sort of side-stepping the issue or playing ostrich, burying your head in the sand. You look like an idiot, and we begin to wonder if you should be permitted to own a weapon - after all you clearly understand what it is used for.
Did you think it was a cooking utensil? Or a ball?
Banning handguns and semi-automatics is the obvious solution. But here's the thing, people don't want to give up anything, they also don't want to rely on others or laws or society to protect them. Again this is in part a societal issue - reflected heavily in our art, movies, and various other forms of entertainment including tv shows. How often do people complain about violent tv shows? Skyfall wasn't R-rated, it was PG-13, because it had no real nudity or explicit sex scenes.
The Avengers was PG, for the same reason. Cartoons are violent. Kids play cops and robbers. Little Ralphie yearns for the Red Ryder Bee Bee Gun to protect himself from those bullies who he races away from each day. He wants the gun to shoot the bullies. And yet, we all adore A Christmas Story, and never question this rite of passage. My mother had a toy gun growing up.
Many people see the right to own a handgun as a "god-given" right. I want to say, yeah well, I don't believe in that god. No god in its right mind would give you the right to own a pistol so you can kill people (excuse me) shoot people with it. Or they'll state it's their Constitutional Right - a fiction that has unfortunately been supported by the Supreme Court. Although how the right to bear arms against a tyrannical government and/or raise a militia translates as the right to own a gun escapes me. Also in the age of domestic and foreign terrorism - we don't really permit people to raise their own militia to take out the government. If you do that - you are considered a terrorist and rightfully so.
Another argument that I stumbled upon was how would prohibiting guns work, if it didn't work with alcohol or drugs that well? Last time I checked guns don't give you a buzz, and alcohol only kills if you "abuse it". Guns kill regardless. Aim fire dead. A better analogy is comparing guns to arsenic or asbestos or how about biological weapons and nuclear weapons? Those are regulated and prohibited. It's yet another rationalization - another falsehood...or lie. When you ask a few questions about it...such as what is the difference between alcohol and guns and how are each used, you begin to think okay, this analogy does not work at all.
The problem is guns have become many Americans equivalent of a "security blanket" and yanking it away from them is akin to Lucy robbing Linus of his blanket. But unlike Linus' blanket, these blankets (aka guns) are a multimillion dollar industry. People make millions from their manufacture and sale. Movies that contain guns or gun violence - make millions. And not just from guns, but from all the accessories - including bullets, protective vests, holsters, etc. There's also gun clubs, shooting ranges, and associations that make a lot of money off of guns. Banning or prohibiting guns puts these people out of business or limits their business to military, defense, national guard, mercenaries, and terrorists.
There is some truth to the statement that prohibiting or banning guns won't remove them from our society. And all you are doing is regulating them to black-market or organized crime (like prohibition did with alcohol or the drug trade). Except they are already being traded on the black market. But are not illegal. If a criminal such as say Walter White on Breaking Bad is found with a concealed weapon - he's okay, no one arrests him. In NYC they could arrest him, but not in New Mexico. While banning or prohibiting handguns and semi-automatics would not necessarily remove them from criminals and organized crime or terrorists, it would limit their production and accessibility. People like say Anne Lansing would not be able to buy them. Nor would the people on the fifth floor of my work-place for that matter. You can't just buy it off of e-bay or in Walmart.
So the odds go down considerably.
It's like the Old West in a way...in the beginning there were no rules out there. You could carry guns, get into gunfights, kill and be killed. Then those pesky settlers moved in and civilized the place, building schools, stores, etc...and handguns were either outlawed or regulated. Fewer people died, commerce flowed more freely and life got better - well except for those gun-fighters that American Cinema/television and culture has immortalized on its screen and in its books.
You aren't going to die if someone takes away your uzi or handgun. If anything, you are more likely to live a heck of a lot longer. Owning a hand-gun or semi-automatic increases the odds of one of two things happening to you personally: 1)you kill or seriously maim someone or one of your relatives or children do it (if you are lucky it will only be one person and a clear case of self-defense not resulting in 25 years to life). 2) someone takes it from you and kills you with it or they kill you will you are attempting to defend yourself.
This should go without saying but "You" is meant "generally" it is not meant as "you" personally.
It's just easier than saying he/she constantly. Pronouns can be problematic at times.
At any rate..studies have shown that people who do not own weapons of any kind live longer than those who do. So you've basically shortened your life and your families just by buying that gun.
There's also the bit about not having to live with the guilt of hurting, maiming or killing another person - which is a lot harder to live with then you might think regardless of who they are. All you have to do is meet their families. Ask any solider or cop who was unlucky enough to have to do it - in the line of duty and they'll tell you. They go through a lot counseling.
Also, it is not just mentally unstable people who kill innocent people. While addressing the mental health issue is important, do not for one second think doing so will stop people from being shot and killed.
Last January, a teenage boy walking home was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch citizen. This tragedy ruined the boy's life, the shooter's life, and the community. If the handguns were regulated or banned, this boy would most likely be alive today and the neighbor wouldn't be serving time in prison or ducking death threats. And he's not the only instance.
As I see it, and this clearly just my opinion, there are two issues here: 1) mental health and addressing this problem in a positive and productive manner, 2) gun control - better and stronger regulations limiting the accessibility of weapons which are designed solely to kill other human beings. Number 2 is actually easier to resolve and far more clear cut. On Saturday, Brooklyn had the largest gun-buy-back yet - 139 weapons were brought in one day. People got money in exchange for turning in their weapons. What would be wonderful is if we could solve both problems at the same time - have everyone who owns a hand-gun or semi-automatic which is clearly designed with the sole purpose of killing a human being - sell the gun back to their government and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization that funds mental healthcare or increases accessibility to mental health-care.
Instead of investing in death, invest in life? You'll probably live longer and enjoy your life more. As will everyone else.
Facts:
http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#constitution - this is a website run by two libertarians, but they appear to just be posting factual data.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/ - more liberal source, quoting Mother Jones.
http://smartgunlaws.org/category/gun-studies-statistics/gun-violence-statistics/ - Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
The good news is there is a National Out-cry right now...Ted Nugent's Reality Series on Discovery Channel - about Guns, has been cancelled permanently and Ted Nugent - an pro-gun advocate fired.
So, I have hope that something will be done and a right that was instituted while we were literally at war with the British will go the way of the Dodo, it's not needed now. Let's get rid of it. The Linuses can find another security blanket to stave off their fears.
I need to talk about a few things, so this post is most likely going to be flocked, but we shall see.
1. I managed to award over 12 projects within last four weeks - or complete 12, hard to explain. At any rate the full plate of work was cleared, there's only five-six projects remaining, and they can wait until 2013. Two are in capable hands of senior professionals, who agreed to cover for me.
So...YAY! I feel like I've climbed the work equivalent of Mt. Everest and can't tell anyone. But I have, I have...just one more day left. Bone tired, but accomplished! Hopefully bosses will notice and reward me for this accomplishment. But I doubt it. We will do the happy snoopy dance of accomplishment by ourselves.
2. Also, managed to convince landlord and people below me to raise the thermostate rating - so the heat made it to 72-73 degrees when I got home. YAY!
3. Okay, Dan Humphries is Gossip Girl? Granted, I figured it had to be him or his sister...but still, this is a pre-teen soap opera and the whole thing is told through a guy's eyes, a guy idolizing and demonizing women? OTOH...he is sort of portrayed as a Dominick Dunne wannabee. While I'm not at all interested in The Carrie Diaries - at least they are in Carrie's pov.
4. Current Affairs...
[Disclaimer: "You" is meant in the general sense and is not directed personally at anyone who chooses to read this. Also, I do not pretend to be an expert on these things..just my opinion on the matter.]
* Mental Health
I work in a building that houses four public agencies. 1)School Board, 2) Commuter Railroad, 3) Housing Authority, and 5) Mental Health and Transitional Services.
The Mental Health and Transitional Services (which is basically mental health out-patient counseling and therapy services for people who are on governement stipends and/or have recently been released from a mental institution, a prison, or something along those lines.
Before they moved in...we has a receptionist, and an acquarium in the downstairs lobby, no cameras, no sign-in sheet, no security guard on each floor, and we could stay late. After they moved in there were two incidents, one involving a gun, another involving a knife. They didn't hurt anyone, just waved it around - and not on my floor. Although there was a knife fight outside the building. I was on vacation or out sick both times. At any rate after these occurrences, they fired the receptionist, got rid of the acquarium, hired a security guard, installed security cameras, hired security guards for each floor, and have a sign-in sheet for visitors to the building that don't have a badge.
IN NYC - sometimes people will get pushed in front of trains by mentally unstable homeless people - this has happened about twice a year. Happened just two weeks ago actually. And there's an outcry for more services for the mentally ill and the homeless....then people forget and move on.
The problem is no one wants to sacrifice anything in order to ensure they get these services or help. Because you do have to give up something - whether it be time, money (additional taxes) or
space - you have to give up something. And people don't want to do that. It's not that bills and legislation isn't proposed, it is, or that people don't come up with ideas - they do, but when Jane and Jack discover that CrazyMonty is going to be housed in a mental health facility down the block - they get in right snit, and protest. Or when they discover that additional funding for a new mental health facility will be taken out of their hard won income...as gasp, taxes, they get livid. Or..when they discover that the government has to house these individuals in a facility for years - paid by tax dollars...oh god, no. Or that our tax dollars will pay for people going to psychiatrists or seeking mental health - no, we shouldn't have to pay for them!
In short, it's rather easy to whine about there not being anything done, but a whole lot harder to pay for it. Part of this is a societal issue (in the US - I can't speak for any other country on the map) - in that we frown upon mental health and stigmatize it. The stigma has found its way into our lexicon and vernacular. So we are reluctant to help people who are mentally ill - we want to hide them away, far away, out of sight and out of mind.
I told you the story about my workplace to get across that point. My coworkers whine incessantly about the people on the 5th floor. And as much as I wish I could tell you that I was better, I'm not. It's hard to share an elevator, a tight confined space, with a woman who is railing curses at you or a man who is bigger than you are and talking nonsense. It's downright scary. When I get off at the 3rd floor...I have a small space, and then a set of locked glass doors that the security guard has to open for me. I fear the people in the elevator will follow me out or yank me back in the elevator. This fear is not helped by the fact that the elevator has a history of breaking down. The ultimate fear is being trapped with one of this people in the elevator, which they've been known to pee in on occasion. I pray no one shows up with a gun and decides to kill people - because I'd be dead. So I use the stairwell to go down, and the elevator to go up (because the stairwell has a banged up fire security door that is locked, so you can't get in that way, only out, partly as protection against the 5th floor. And have I mentioned that I am a big woman, and 6 foot? Most people in NYC are smaller than me.
Treating mental health is not an easy proposition. Adam Lansing was described as shy and kept to himself. With Auspergers. Not insane by people who knew or ran across him. Most of the people from the 5th floor are okay. I have two male cousins who fit that description. One has a version of auspergers. The other is bi-polar and possibly auspergers. Both struck me as kind and just a bit odd. I like both. Mental health is not something you can generalize about. Every case is somewhat different. There's no cure-all pill or treatment. Some react well to shock treatment, some to drugs, some to neither. Did you know that there is an autoimmune disorder that drives you violently insane - acting as if you are demonically possessed with violent out-bursts? IT's caused by the body attacking the brain and the brain rails back. There's a book about this..it is called Brain on Fire. Madness terrifies me. And our society has never known how to handle it. Our bodies and brains are so different from each other...there's no one size fits all. So how do you fix this problem? You can't very well kill someone who is mentally ill. And should society hospitalize/institutionalize someone until they die - providing for all their needs? That can be expensive, right?
Also, what about people who are misdiagnosed? Maybe it's curable? We don't know why people do what they do. And how do we fund and pay for the possible solutions? What are we as a society willing to give up? Are we willing to put the money that is put towards athletics towards health care?
Are we willing to take a portion of our defense funding?
Government is a bit chaotic. Think of it like a big hat - everyone throws in their problems, you stick your hand in and pick one. Then there's a hat with a bunch of solutions, and you stick in your hand and choose a solution. It's also bureaucratic and regulatory heavy - because you are trying to please literally everyone. Have you ever tried to meet all the needs and wants of everyone you know? Well that's government.
So...private may be the best idea. Private funds, charitable donations. But how much is needed to house and treat one patient, or many. And what about paying the costs of the doctors? It's not a clear-cut solution. Funding though is the biggest problem, along with accurate diagnosis and treatment.
* Gun Control...
This is actually easier to fix. Because you can generalize here. All handguns, semi-automatic weapons and bullet clips are made to kill people. When people state somewhat cleverly that guns don't kill people, people kill people - they are missing the point - guns are "created" intentionally to kill people. Rifles, buckshot, arrows are created to kill deer or animals. But handguns and semiautomatic weapons and silencers are created for the sole purpose of killing another person. There is no other reason for their existence. To state otherwise is bold-faced lie.
Stating Guns don't kill people, people kill people is sort of side-stepping the issue or playing ostrich, burying your head in the sand. You look like an idiot, and we begin to wonder if you should be permitted to own a weapon - after all you clearly understand what it is used for.
Did you think it was a cooking utensil? Or a ball?
Banning handguns and semi-automatics is the obvious solution. But here's the thing, people don't want to give up anything, they also don't want to rely on others or laws or society to protect them. Again this is in part a societal issue - reflected heavily in our art, movies, and various other forms of entertainment including tv shows. How often do people complain about violent tv shows? Skyfall wasn't R-rated, it was PG-13, because it had no real nudity or explicit sex scenes.
The Avengers was PG, for the same reason. Cartoons are violent. Kids play cops and robbers. Little Ralphie yearns for the Red Ryder Bee Bee Gun to protect himself from those bullies who he races away from each day. He wants the gun to shoot the bullies. And yet, we all adore A Christmas Story, and never question this rite of passage. My mother had a toy gun growing up.
Many people see the right to own a handgun as a "god-given" right. I want to say, yeah well, I don't believe in that god. No god in its right mind would give you the right to own a pistol so you can kill people (excuse me) shoot people with it. Or they'll state it's their Constitutional Right - a fiction that has unfortunately been supported by the Supreme Court. Although how the right to bear arms against a tyrannical government and/or raise a militia translates as the right to own a gun escapes me. Also in the age of domestic and foreign terrorism - we don't really permit people to raise their own militia to take out the government. If you do that - you are considered a terrorist and rightfully so.
Another argument that I stumbled upon was how would prohibiting guns work, if it didn't work with alcohol or drugs that well? Last time I checked guns don't give you a buzz, and alcohol only kills if you "abuse it". Guns kill regardless. Aim fire dead. A better analogy is comparing guns to arsenic or asbestos or how about biological weapons and nuclear weapons? Those are regulated and prohibited. It's yet another rationalization - another falsehood...or lie. When you ask a few questions about it...such as what is the difference between alcohol and guns and how are each used, you begin to think okay, this analogy does not work at all.
The problem is guns have become many Americans equivalent of a "security blanket" and yanking it away from them is akin to Lucy robbing Linus of his blanket. But unlike Linus' blanket, these blankets (aka guns) are a multimillion dollar industry. People make millions from their manufacture and sale. Movies that contain guns or gun violence - make millions. And not just from guns, but from all the accessories - including bullets, protective vests, holsters, etc. There's also gun clubs, shooting ranges, and associations that make a lot of money off of guns. Banning or prohibiting guns puts these people out of business or limits their business to military, defense, national guard, mercenaries, and terrorists.
There is some truth to the statement that prohibiting or banning guns won't remove them from our society. And all you are doing is regulating them to black-market or organized crime (like prohibition did with alcohol or the drug trade). Except they are already being traded on the black market. But are not illegal. If a criminal such as say Walter White on Breaking Bad is found with a concealed weapon - he's okay, no one arrests him. In NYC they could arrest him, but not in New Mexico. While banning or prohibiting handguns and semi-automatics would not necessarily remove them from criminals and organized crime or terrorists, it would limit their production and accessibility. People like say Anne Lansing would not be able to buy them. Nor would the people on the fifth floor of my work-place for that matter. You can't just buy it off of e-bay or in Walmart.
So the odds go down considerably.
It's like the Old West in a way...in the beginning there were no rules out there. You could carry guns, get into gunfights, kill and be killed. Then those pesky settlers moved in and civilized the place, building schools, stores, etc...and handguns were either outlawed or regulated. Fewer people died, commerce flowed more freely and life got better - well except for those gun-fighters that American Cinema/television and culture has immortalized on its screen and in its books.
You aren't going to die if someone takes away your uzi or handgun. If anything, you are more likely to live a heck of a lot longer. Owning a hand-gun or semi-automatic increases the odds of one of two things happening to you personally: 1)you kill or seriously maim someone or one of your relatives or children do it (if you are lucky it will only be one person and a clear case of self-defense not resulting in 25 years to life). 2) someone takes it from you and kills you with it or they kill you will you are attempting to defend yourself.
This should go without saying but "You" is meant "generally" it is not meant as "you" personally.
It's just easier than saying he/she constantly. Pronouns can be problematic at times.
At any rate..studies have shown that people who do not own weapons of any kind live longer than those who do. So you've basically shortened your life and your families just by buying that gun.
There's also the bit about not having to live with the guilt of hurting, maiming or killing another person - which is a lot harder to live with then you might think regardless of who they are. All you have to do is meet their families. Ask any solider or cop who was unlucky enough to have to do it - in the line of duty and they'll tell you. They go through a lot counseling.
Also, it is not just mentally unstable people who kill innocent people. While addressing the mental health issue is important, do not for one second think doing so will stop people from being shot and killed.
Last January, a teenage boy walking home was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch citizen. This tragedy ruined the boy's life, the shooter's life, and the community. If the handguns were regulated or banned, this boy would most likely be alive today and the neighbor wouldn't be serving time in prison or ducking death threats. And he's not the only instance.
As I see it, and this clearly just my opinion, there are two issues here: 1) mental health and addressing this problem in a positive and productive manner, 2) gun control - better and stronger regulations limiting the accessibility of weapons which are designed solely to kill other human beings. Number 2 is actually easier to resolve and far more clear cut. On Saturday, Brooklyn had the largest gun-buy-back yet - 139 weapons were brought in one day. People got money in exchange for turning in their weapons. What would be wonderful is if we could solve both problems at the same time - have everyone who owns a hand-gun or semi-automatic which is clearly designed with the sole purpose of killing a human being - sell the gun back to their government and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization that funds mental healthcare or increases accessibility to mental health-care.
Instead of investing in death, invest in life? You'll probably live longer and enjoy your life more. As will everyone else.
Facts:
http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#constitution - this is a website run by two libertarians, but they appear to just be posting factual data.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/ - more liberal source, quoting Mother Jones.
http://smartgunlaws.org/category/gun-studies-statistics/gun-violence-statistics/ - Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
The good news is there is a National Out-cry right now...Ted Nugent's Reality Series on Discovery Channel - about Guns, has been cancelled permanently and Ted Nugent - an pro-gun advocate fired.
So, I have hope that something will be done and a right that was instituted while we were literally at war with the British will go the way of the Dodo, it's not needed now. Let's get rid of it. The Linuses can find another security blanket to stave off their fears.