In my last blog I focused on the issue of gun violence in America and the need to tackle this extreme issue from multiple angles. As gun violence continues to progress across the United States it is clear that we have to act aggressively. I last discussed the importance of approaching the gun violence in our youth and how it would be ideal to start at a young age. That we should begin teaching social and emotional skills and health in school districts in elementary school, as well as moral ethics or philosophy classes in high school. These skills are required to become respectful citizens in a society. Establishing these into an educational curriculum would also allow for monitoring our youth, being able to see any red flags or indicators of any of our youth at risk, especially because public school is a stressful environment. It would also be of help to have additional counselors, youth psychologists or mental health officers on school campuses as an additional tool to developing social and emotional skills necessary to overcome frequent struggles our youth faces. We could accomplish these goals across the United States if we decided to declare gun violence as a Public Health Issue
Viewing gun violence as a public health issue could be an incredibly beneficial and effective solution. A public health issue can be defined as a complex situation that has a significant impact on community health, loss of life, and on the economy. Approaching gun violence as a public health issue would allow the CDC to get involved and develop constructive framework to further investigate and understand the causes of gun violence, especially in our youth. The first step would involve collecting information on the severity of the issue and analyze the data. The next step would identify the factors that contribute to gun violence. Finding the underlying factors of violence will allow us to identify those most likely to engage in violence or be targeted by it. Identifying individuals at risk would help determine how to intervene and provide services to those in need and could prevent many incidents from occurring.
Many public health officials have agreed that this matter needs to be addressed as a Public Health Crisis and have asked Congress to lift the Dickey Amendment. The Dickey Amendment was put into place in 1996 which restricted funds for firearm control and injury prevention at the CDC for being used to advocate gun control, denying the CDC the option to research gun control for over 20 years.
With over 30,000 deaths a year in the United States due to guns, this amendment needs to be lifted, not necessarily to remove the right to bare arms, but to identify the issues behind gun violence and address the actual cause.
In No More Kings, Tiffany Acker tackles the issues with our second amendment in society today.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Acker's editorial because she provided valid solutions to potentially decrease gun violence in the United States.
I am very open-minded, and believe gun reform is a necessity. However, I also don't see an issue with having a concealed and licensed gun. I had not always felt this way, but one day in Church I thought... wow, if someone were to come into the church and shoot at us, there wouldn't be anyone to fend for us. Law enforcement wouldn't arrive in time, and we would all be left helpless. I then began to fear for my own safety.
With that said, I still do agree with Acker's post. It's not exactly getting rid of guns, but instead trying to identify issues regarding gun violence. Acker proposed having congress lift the Dickey Amendment, teaching overall emotional and mental health in schools, and allowing the CDC to get involved.
I believe Acker's approach is a wonderful first-step in reforming America.
I somewhat agree with Acker saying the second amendment should be lifted. I think automatic and semi-automatic guns should be banned from citizens. There is no reason any American would need such a powerful and dangerous gun. However, I don't think the entire amendment should be lifted. As I stated above, I wouldn't want to be left defenseless. There are many people that own guns and are cautious and responsible with them; not everyone should be punished.