Schwartz is the executive director of San Diego County Gun Owners PAC. He lives in San Diego.
It has been said that insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. On May 24, the terrible news of another mass homicide at a Texas elementary school hit the headlines. Without knowing the details, politicians predictably called for more gun restrictions rather than focus on how to solve the cause.
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It is time to try something new. It is time we solve the problem.
I won’t spend time rehashing what is usually written after past horrific killings, like what an AR-15 is and is not. Or how adding another gun law won’t help and that gun owners commit far fewer gun crimes than criminals who use illegal guns. Or that gun laws are used more often to jail minorities, not stop mass killers. Or that over 90 percent of these horrible incidents happen in a gun-free zone and studies have shown that universal background checks and California’s assault weapon ban are not effective. You have heard these facts over and over.
There are two pertinent similarities in all the high-profile mass killings that make it to the headlines: clear symptoms of mental illness the killers displayed, and inadequate or non-existent security.
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We have seen reports at the Texas elementary school that described the shooter as an unusually quiet loner who was described by classmates as having mental health problems. He was unable to finish high school and hurt animals. He was described as troubled, frequently bullied in school, and prone to fits of aggression. His social media posts leading up to the attack included threats of violence.
There appears to be no evidence that he received any treatment, counseling or help for the issues he dealt with and the symptoms he displayed. Warning signs and lack of treatment are a common thread behind mass killings.
On the day of the incident, while wearing tactical clothing and carrying a firearm, he was able to walk into the school through an unlocked door. Although law enforcement officers arrived within minutes, they did not engage for more than an hour after arriving, giving an unimaginable amount of time to inflict carnage.
Mental illness and lack of security will undoubtedly be a factor again in the next tragic event. The anti-gun lobby will again be fixated on banning the gun rather than the solution. Their narrative will prevent fixing our country’s mental health system, how law enforcement fits in with mental health, or security for what we cherish the most.
So what harm could come if we ban just an AR-15?
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The harm is twofold. Banning AR-15s will not solve the problem of mass killings and banning AR-15s is essentially banning all firearms. An AR-15 is a firearm like any other. It is not unusual, dangerous or exotic. It functions like any other firearm, has the same rate of fire as most pistols, and in some cases uses the same power cartridge. It functions the same but looks aesthetically different from other firearms. Because it functions the same, banning it based on function is essentially banning every firearm. Basing a ban on the AR-15’s aesthetic features would just mean AR-15s would be built without those features.
Rather than focus on the gun, let’s finally try focusing on the person. Focusing on the person as an antidote to dangerous crime has a history of success. For example, drunken driving fatalities have been steadily falling over the last 40 years because the focus has been on helping the person, not the car or the drink. Cars and alcohol aren’t banned, but drinking limits are enforced and punishments are harsh. Programs for alcoholics are available, cheap and accepted.
Until we put real effort and real resources into mental health, the relationship between mental health professionals and law enforcement, and improved security, we will continue to see terrible acts of violence against the undefended victims. The clear answer is to fund security and fund programs to help troubled kids and to provide a clear path for friends and family to help loved ones showing signs of mental illness.
We also need to hold elected officials accountable, both Republican and Democratic leaders, for fixing the root causes; reject any excuse that it is complicated and expensive; and reject the extremism of groups like Moms Demand Action so they can no longer block meaningful solutions.
The news cycle will shift, and most people will move on to the next story du jour. Gun owners, however, will continue the discussion year-round, not just when it is trending. If we work together to put talking points and partisanship behind us, we can have a safer nation where the vulnerable and needy are cared for and our rights are protected.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
