Somebody has to pull the trigger
By Libby
I generally avoid posting on gun issues because I have a lot of friends who are rather strongly in favor of what I consider to be overly enthusiatic gun control and I don't like to look for trouble. I'm one of those old hippies who was completely against guns in the 60s but grew to appreciate the desire, and even the need, to own guns due to my association with totally responsible gun owners. So I have to say I have some disagreement with Brian's posts that I may explore in more detail if I find time and energy later. I'd just state for the moment that basically I view blaming guns for gun violence kind of like blaming drug consumers for drug violence. In both instances, it lumps responsible owners or users in with abusers.
But the main thing that struck me when I read Brian's first post was the difference in our reaction to the story on the kid who killed his parents. I saw that one too and it included a picture of the family home which looked rather huge. This happened in a well to do family. Brian's first inclination seemed to be to blame the guns. My first thought was to blame pharmaceuticals. I looked at that home and immediately thought of all the trust fund kids I've known in my lifetime who were sent into therapy by well meaning parents to deal with their teenage angst. Many of them ended up taking a toxic cocktail of various mood altering drugs like Prozac. There are many instances where young people are prescribed drugs like these meant for adults and suffer side effects that drive them to murder and suicide. I don't have the figures handy and I'm pretty much out of time this morning, but I know there's been more than a few teenage murders within this social class where overmedication was more of a factor than the availibility of a firearm. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that was the case here.
I generally avoid posting on gun issues because I have a lot of friends who are rather strongly in favor of what I consider to be overly enthusiatic gun control and I don't like to look for trouble. I'm one of those old hippies who was completely against guns in the 60s but grew to appreciate the desire, and even the need, to own guns due to my association with totally responsible gun owners. So I have to say I have some disagreement with Brian's posts that I may explore in more detail if I find time and energy later. I'd just state for the moment that basically I view blaming guns for gun violence kind of like blaming drug consumers for drug violence. In both instances, it lumps responsible owners or users in with abusers.
But the main thing that struck me when I read Brian's first post was the difference in our reaction to the story on the kid who killed his parents. I saw that one too and it included a picture of the family home which looked rather huge. This happened in a well to do family. Brian's first inclination seemed to be to blame the guns. My first thought was to blame pharmaceuticals. I looked at that home and immediately thought of all the trust fund kids I've known in my lifetime who were sent into therapy by well meaning parents to deal with their teenage angst. Many of them ended up taking a toxic cocktail of various mood altering drugs like Prozac. There are many instances where young people are prescribed drugs like these meant for adults and suffer side effects that drive them to murder and suicide. I don't have the figures handy and I'm pretty much out of time this morning, but I know there's been more than a few teenage murders within this social class where overmedication was more of a factor than the availibility of a firearm. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that was the case here.
posted by Libby Spencer at 10:35 AM
8 Comments:
My intent was not to "blame" the guns. I raised the question of what might have happened had the gun not been readily available. In this case, as Fogg suggested, the blame at least starts with the father who left his gun unsecured in a home with three children.
The fact that these folks lived in a nice home in a nice neighborhood does not necessarily lead to a conclusion that drugs were involved. Abuse could have been an issue or simply an unbalanced kid who got pissed off. It happens. I think we need more info before we start speculating on that.
I've probably had more experience with firearms, especially high powered arms than most people and, while developing a profound respect for them, I still realize that they are not dangerous until some person picks them up. All too often, that person ends up being someone who has no respect for the weapon, is untrained in its use, or doesn't have the common sense to use it and store it properly. Perhaps we should be focused not on gun control, but GUN USER control.
Now there's a thought, Brian. Gun User controls. Also, how about a parenting class that must be taken before birth. I'm sure neither one of these will work in every case, but perhaps they would go a long way in improving responsible gun ownership and responsible parenting.
Let me clarify that last comment: It should say "before the birth of their child."
This is off topic, but I just wanted to say congrats on your new bloggers. Kvatch and ExPat are great and will make your great blog even better!
Fogg's comment got kicked down to the next post so I'm reproducing it here because as always, he says a lot of what I would have said if I was as articulate.
Sometimes people just go nuts. They used to call schizophrenia "dementia praecox" because it seemed to occur so frequently just around puberty. Even normal kids like (ahem) I was, are pretty flaky in their teens and if one's inner murderer is to come out, that's too often when it happens. That's often when depression strikes, the voices speak up, and sometimes the medicine with its side effects is administered.
One can argue forever about the merits and dangers of legal gun ownership, but the outcomes seem to be dependent on independent factors and doctrines don't seem to explain much, but I think we can agree that allowing one's children unsupervised access to firearms is really stupid and rightly judged criminal. And as any parent knows, kids can find a way into anything short of Fort Knox.
I think I agree with Brian that there is something sick and violent in American culture, but I don't think it helps that we have so little access to mental health care for the less than affluent and a prison system and even a school system that turns out people so unfit for civilization.
I do think we all can agree that irresponsible gun owners and guns in the hands of criminals are bad.
I don't what happened with this kid. I just reported my first thought when I saw the photo of the house. I've known too many privileged kids who ended up misdiagnosed and screwed up legal pharmacueticals. Ironically you can have too much access to health care as well as not enough.
That's not to say that some kids don't need the drugs, but often what they really need is therapy. Unfortunately, insurance will pay for drugs forever, but won't pay for one on one discussion that they really need. And don't get me started on the overdiagnosis of ADHD. They're giving these drugs to five year olds.
I could be wrong, but I think it's a bigger factor than anyone else thinks it is.
Kathy. How nice to see you. They are a good catch aren't they?
I like the way The Impolitic is headed. Imagine - cogent thoughts AND spirited, compelling argument.
Can't you just see the trolls a comin'...
Thanks Nolo.
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