...Reflection Joe Nocera argues in his New York Times op-ed column “Guns and Mental Illness” that it should be more difficult for people, rather than the mentally-ill, to attain a firearm due to a recent mass shooting in California. Last month, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger went on a shooting spree in Isla Vista, California after emailing a 140-page manifesto to his parents. Nocera recapitulates the terrifying tale of two parents racing to California only to have their worst fears confirmed: Elliot had killed six people before committing suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Elliot had a long history with depression and had never been admitted to a psychiatric facility. It is unclear whether Elliot should have been admitted to a psychiatric clinic. In particular, Elliot did not have a criminal history. He was simply a sequestered adolescent with poor social skills. In other words, Elliot had a right to purchase a gun. Mass shooters tend to meet the profile of socially awkward males. Statistically, however, very few socially awkward males actually commit mass shootings. It would be unlawful to deny males who meet this profile access to a firearm. Indeed, Nocera notes that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1975 that mentally-ill people who are neither violent nor dangerous cannot be forced into an institution. Therefore, Nocera concludes that we should make it more difficult for everyone to attain a gun. The author has a clear liberal bias. The column was an...
Words: 648 - Pages: 3
...CAMPUS NEWS The gun control in US Is there enough gun control in the U.S.? Or should the control be tightened up? After the many school shootings in the U.S. arms control has become a much-discussed topic. The President of the United States and the Congress are in the process of discussing what should be done about the gun control. Barack Obama, the U.S. president, has presented some new proposals around the Firearms Act, which should help to prevent future shooting tragedies. In January 2013 Barack Obama presented a new plan to prevent shootings. The most important thing was to significantly improve background checks on those who buy guns. He wants to drastically improve the system of background checks. Mr. Obama believes that by improving background checks when people buy guns, there will be fewer shootings and reduce the number of mentally ill people being able to by guns. However, says Jack Levin, a professor of sociology and Criminology from Northeastern University in Boston, that background checks will not prevent school shootings since gunmen will let their parents with spotless criminal record buy guns for them. There can be spoken both for and against the use of a more thorough background check, but it's only positive that Barack Obama will improve the system of arms control. Another suggestion is that he wants to ban assault weapons and large ammunition magazines. The proposal should eliminate all sales of these weapon designs. Mr. Webster has said that...
Words: 1127 - Pages: 5
...violence happens, most people turn to the news to provide them with information regarding the incident. The information gets twisted, and a whole group of people get shamed for something out of their control. The negative ideas about mental health that come from the public are heavily influenced by the media’s negative portrayals when crime is committed by those with mental illnesses. When one “crazy” person does something wrong, every single person with OCD, for example, is also viewed as deranged and unpredictable. Although mental illnesses may ignite something in the brain to act, mental health can not fairly be the...
Words: 1527 - Pages: 7
...Gun Control in America Gun Control in America has led to many deaths nationwide. Every day we lose thousands of people lives that have been killed by guns. This whole gun control system that we have today in america has not seem to decrease the violence but increase it, since many criminals find a way to get a hold of a firearm. The gun violence we are having is created because of the lack of politics being careless for their people's safety, by the regulations on gun control, and how criminals have access to guns. The law was introduced back in 1934 when the federal government started its gun control policies in order to stop gang violence which was called the National Firearms Act of 1934. Ever since then it has not helped stop the violence and it seems that the issue has grown over the years and it is now a major problem. When the issue really struct the people was when there was school shootings, which really impacts america by making the school safety a failure since criminals enter heavily armed to a school campus.One major school shooting was “two high school teens Eric Harris, 18 and Dylan Klebolod, 17 had killed 13 people and wounded 20 more before commiting suicide on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado” (History.com staff). The crime was...
Words: 923 - Pages: 4
... This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty . . . . The right of self-defense is the first law of nature; in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Whenever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.1 INTRODUCTION On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho went on a murderous rampage at Virginia Tech University, slaughtering 32 people before turning his gun on himself.2 Cho had previously been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder and declared mentally ill in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County.3 At the time of the shooting, Virginia law prohibited the “purchase, possession, or transportation of any firearm by any person adjudicated ‘legally incompetent,’ ‘mentally incapacitated,’ or ‘incapacitated,’ whose competency or capacity [had] not been * Third-year law student at Southern Illinois University. Address correspondence to Mr. Sterzer at Southern Illinois University School of Law, Law Journal Office, Lesar Law Building, Carbondale, IL 62901, or via e-mail at jasons@siu.edu. 1 ST. GEORGE TUCKER, BLACKSTONE’S COMMENTARIES ON THE LAWS OF ENGLAND (1803), available at http:// www2.law.ucla.edu/volokh/2amteach/ sources.htm#TOC7. 2 VIRGINIA TECH REVIEW...
Words: 15528 - Pages: 63
...crime. This has sparked the debate of whether gun control is necessary to diminish crime and many pro gun advocates, look at Switzerland as proof that it is false. To get into this heated debate, it is important to understand the term gun control. Gun control is defined as laws that control the selling, owning, and use of guns (Webster's Dictionary). Like in any debate there are always two very different stance on this topic. PRO Pro gun control advocates argue that having strict gun laws will decrease the nation's crime rate. They also point out that having tougher gun laws will save lives by avoiding any more public massacres. To the eyes of a gun control advocate, it seems like a no brainer. After all, the less guns on the street will result in less gun related deaths. In the United States, 33,636 people have died due to a firearm in 2013 (Alpers, Philip).That number accounts for murders, homicides and suicides across the country. Thousands of people that year lost their life due to a firearm incident and the number keeps growing each year. Many gun control advocates wonder why it is so difficult to implement stricter gun laws in the world's greatest democracy. The misinterpretation of the second amendment is what's holding back the U.S. Many people that are against gun control throw around the Second Amendment a whole lot. What many have failed to realize is that the Second Amendment protects the right of militias to own guns, not the individual. Let's take a look at what...
Words: 1584 - Pages: 7
...certified therapist alerts the police that the individual is a danger to themselves and others, the individual has been previously been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor, have under gone a domestic violence restraining order, or have been determined to be mentally unstable. The bill is not only for the protection against mentally ill individuals with malicious intent but also to decrease the rate of suicides, which in 2011 a total of 21,175 numbers of deaths by firearms. A problem the bill will face is law abiding citizens right to keep and bear arms, the right to speak The policy is addressing the problem of the sale of firearms by the mentally ill, by providing family members and law enforcement the means to restrict the right of purchase of guns to the mentally ill and the safety to individuals who have intent to commit suicide. Assembly Bill 1014 was authorized by Nancy Skinner (D-15) in events of mass shootings such as at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado; Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, etc. has brought change to the United States by reform. Previous mass shootings debates in the correlation between mental health and mass shootings have succumbed to the decision of; are mentally ill subjects mentally sound to possess firearms. In 2001, the US National Library of Medicine ran a study of thirty-four subjects, acting alone or in pairs, committed 27 mass murders between 1958 and 1999. The sample consisted of males with a median age of 17. A majority was...
Words: 1474 - Pages: 6
...concluded through research that there needs to be a change to the laws to allow more protection for the people. This will help prevent deadly shootings that have taken so many innocent lives. The people involved in the experiment agreed that something should be changed, and they feel people with mental illnesses need to have limited control of guns (3). Current gun control laws relating to mental illnesses are not very clear because states are not required to report mental health information to the agencies that perform background checks. There is also no standard on what information would need to be required to submit (5). Having stricter gun control laws towards people with mental illnesses or on the verge of a psychotic break, will help prevent public shootings....
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...Gun Control: Effects on Crime and Violence QBT1 - Task 4: Document Revisions Western Governor’s University Gun Control: Effects on Crime and Violence The topic of gun control in the U.S becomes more popular in the wake of horrific gun crimes and mass shootings. , but tHowever, the public might be surprised to find that the intended results of gun control laws might prove to be historically ineffective in preventing future gun violence from occurring in America and that there is perhaps a more suitable solution for the problem.. In order to properly understand the breadth of the gun control topic, it would be wise to also properly understand the history of gun controls in the U.S. as well as what gun control actually is. Gun Control seems to have a slightly differing definition depending on which source is defining the term. For the purposes of this essay, the following sources will be used: dictionary.com defines the term “gun control” as the “government regulation of the sale and ownership of firearms”, while Merriam-webster’s website defines gun control as “regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns” (Gun control, n.d.). Each of the definitions states that the regulation of guns by the unspecified government would seek to control the sale, ownership, and/or use of a gun. In relationship to the United States, there have been several famous and infamous laws written to target gun control in one way or the other. To some, the history...
Words: 2383 - Pages: 10
...are hurt from guns every day, in which twelve children are injured and seven children are killed. These are only just children. Imagine how many people become victims of gun violence every day. There is a lot of debate between whether or not more laws should be passed to control the ownership and manufacturing of guns in the United States. Can gun control laws reduce the amount of gun violence? The clear answer is yes. First, the suicide rate will lower if we enact more gun control laws. Next, making people undergo background checks before owning a gun will help reduce the risk of a firearm ending up in the hands of a criminal or a mentally ill person. Third, there will be more gun deaths if it is easier to obtain a...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
...assignment. The article gave information about a bill on guns that was sign by the Florida Governor Rick Scott and made into a law. I have selected and article from the school’s library that relates to the same topic and has more information. The bill that was sign and converted into a law will prevent mentally ill people from buying a gun or keeping one that has been bought and registered. Even though many people are happy with Rick Scott’s decision, others are disappointed. I would begin by taking the novel approach to encourage readers to research more about incidents rates in which people have been killed with a gun by a mentally ill person. I would also improve the article by adding more information to it. By using the strategy of improving things in my article will allow the readers to understand how the problems and issues of gun control can be improved. Improving what the writer originally said with something more conclusive could help the readers understand the problem. Lastly, Inventing or Redefining a Concept so that my article looks new and improved. How I would use strategies for promoting curiosity when addressing my topic. Using strategies to promote curiosity in this story is very important to keep the reader engage on the reading. Strategies for promoting curiosity in this story can be done several ways. I would write facts about a case that has occurred and involves a mentally ill individual using a gun and hurting a person. When the reader sees it they will...
Words: 512 - Pages: 3
...arguments regarding gun control. a. Good arguments on both sides of the issue. b. Viewpoints have different basis. i. Religious beliefs. ii. Cultural beliefs. iii. Familial upbringing. iv. Gender bias. II. Debate arguments for and against banning guns in the United States. c. New gun control laws alone will not solve violent crimes/massacres. Law abiding citizens are not the problem, and a ban law will not stop criminals from obtaining weapons. d. Consequences of banning guns from law abiding citizens. The American people have the right to protect themselves. Other countries have banned guns and then massacred the population. e. Banning guns in the United States will prevent the mentally ill from procuring weapons in order to perpetrate mass killings. f. There is no need for weapons to be owned by the private sector. v. Hunting is not a viable option for feeding families anymore. vi. Overthrowing the government is not a valid argument since we live in a democracy. g. Going back to the constitution: The Second Amendment doesn't allow for any limitations on the right to bear arms. But there are always loop holes within it. III. In conclusion, many arguments are being discussed. h. Many viewpoints need to be considered. i. Banning weapons for the sake of the United States population is needed for the safety of society. vii. Remove guns from the hands...
Words: 356 - Pages: 2
...Gun Control Laws in America Michael Turner Fayetteville State University English 120 Dr. Vicki F. Millspaugh-McKenzie 3/12/13 I feel that as an American we all are entitled to the “Right To Bear Arms” based on the Second Amendment. This is something that was giving to us by our forefathers, and shouldn’t be taking away. However, I do believe we need to set some parameters on guns are placed in people’s hands. Therefore I believe there should be tighter gun control laws in place. We do have the rights to bear arms but I do believe it should be monitor and restricted to some degree. This will help in decreasing the number of homicide and other gun related accidents. Gun control is a serious issue that most believe is saying take guns away from citizens; do not allow them to protect themselves. This is not what gun control is about. Gun control is “law controlling gun ownership: legal measures to license, control, or restrict the ownership of firearms by members of the public” (Encarta World Dictionary) This is why gun control is a topic people try to stay away from, because they don’t actually know what gun control really is and how it works. Gun control is so important because of the fact that it can tell who can control guns and who can’t. It enables us to know what can stop guns from going in the hands of convicted felonies and killers. This can be adjusted though because guns still make their way into felonies hands, and allow them to commit more crimes and...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
...Witch-hunts where power, profit, and fear lead to accusations of witchcraft that spread like wildfire, resulting in the execution of 18 innocent people. Nowadays mental illness is the scapegoat to blame for mass shootings and gun violence, fueled by corrupt politicians whose goals are profit and power, as well as creating fear in the minds of citizens across the nation. In this essay we will compare the similarities in profit, power, and fear between “The Crucible” based on the Salem Witch Trials from the 1500’s and the stigma surrounding Mental Illness in today's society. Power: In the book The Crucible, the judge maintains power by telling people what they believe the people want hear regardless if eighteen innocent people would lose their lives. Nowadays mental illness is blamed for mass shootings and gun violence by...
Words: 384 - Pages: 2
...issue of gun control has been an extremely hot topic in all facets of society, from scared children in schools to arguing politicians across the nation. In the recent years, some progress has been made towards stricter gun laws, yet there is nothing directly targeting the greatest issue at hand: keeping any and all weapons, especially those of mass destruction, out of the hands of the mentally ill and people with a history of violence. Today, anyone can walk into a gun show and purchase an assault rifle, or any other weapon for that matter, without having to go through any kind of criminal or mental background check. This loophole in America’s current gun laws grants access to weapons to those not capable of owning one. In order to ensure that violent or mentally ill people do not have access to weapons of mass destruction, the US government should work to eliminate the gun show loophole....
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
