Give People Hope
Every time I hear of a shooter who killed people and then killed himself I think of this song:
The song is very raw. Speaks of someone with no hope and full of hate for others. We seriously need affordable and easily accessible mental healthcare in this country. Even if the medicine is not perfect, it will at least make these people feel they are not worthless. Caring for them will give them a sense of hope so they never get to the terrible choice of ending themselves and hurt many others in the process.
Violence Begets Violence
The internet is buzzing with the quote from Morgan Freeman about the recent shooting in Connecticut, USA. His quote goes:
While he is completely right, he has not gone deeper. As a human rights activist he should have but as an actor he probably held back because his career would suffer. I, a humble blogger, can elaborate on his point of view.
The reason media is sensationalizing violence is because our society, whether we like it or not, is a violent society. We need to come to terms with that. This is why the Batman theater shooter and other shooters are getting as much attention as the Batman movies which are also violent themselves. So what defines a violent society. It can be summarized in one sentence:
A violent society considers violence a "reasonable" way to fix problems.
Let me give you another example. Before the shooting, during, and after, the United States of America is involved in two wars and it is also bombing other countries with military drones. There is no other country in the world doing exactly the same thing. Two wars at the same time! Think about it, a whole society thinks two wars is a reasonable situation for their country. Why do I say we consider this reasonable? Because we are not actively opposing it. Silence is consent. That phrase has never been more relevant to us than now. Morgan Freeman has given us a way to protest how the media is acting but can we go farther to change society as a whole? That is up to each and every one of us.
“You want to know why {these shootings keep happening}. This may sound cynical, but here’s why.It’s because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."
While he is completely right, he has not gone deeper. As a human rights activist he should have but as an actor he probably held back because his career would suffer. I, a humble blogger, can elaborate on his point of view.
The reason media is sensationalizing violence is because our society, whether we like it or not, is a violent society. We need to come to terms with that. This is why the Batman theater shooter and other shooters are getting as much attention as the Batman movies which are also violent themselves. So what defines a violent society. It can be summarized in one sentence:
A violent society considers violence a "reasonable" way to fix problems.
Let me give you another example. Before the shooting, during, and after, the United States of America is involved in two wars and it is also bombing other countries with military drones. There is no other country in the world doing exactly the same thing. Two wars at the same time! Think about it, a whole society thinks two wars is a reasonable situation for their country. Why do I say we consider this reasonable? Because we are not actively opposing it. Silence is consent. That phrase has never been more relevant to us than now. Morgan Freeman has given us a way to protest how the media is acting but can we go farther to change society as a whole? That is up to each and every one of us.
Driver's license model for gun control in the USA
The terrible news from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 has sparked discussions on gun control laws in the USA all over again.
With that said, we should not jump into too much regulation or stay with the current almost-no-regulation stance.
I suggest we apply the same model for gun licenses as we do for driver's licenses. Why? Because a car is considered a deadly weapon in some states as well. Here's a simple breakdown of how it would happen.
1) Everyone applying for a gun license must show up at a government facility just like people already do to get a driver's license.
2) Everyone applying for a gun license must pass a written test just like people already do to get a driver's license. Except in this case the test will include gun safety and a psychological test to determine the applicant's current state of mind.
3) Everyone applying for a gun license must pass a practical test just like people already do to get a driver's license. The practical test should determine if the applicant can really handle a gun, shoot it, and is able to store it away safely as well.
4) Retesting should be done every two years or every year to make sure the state of mind of the person is within normal parameters.
5) People must be older than a certain age to use guns.
6) There can be different license categories for different types of weapons.
If this system is applied to gun control it will also help law enforcement in catching criminals and potential mass-shooters. How?
a) Police can arrest someone on-site if someone does not have a valid gun license while carrying a weapon. Especially useful if guns are found in their home or anywhere else. This will be excellent to combat gang violence.
b) Police can get a warrant if a parent or group of concerned citizens believes someone is storing guns without a valid license.
c) Police can add an applicant to a nationwide no-sell list to be sent to all gun stores if an applicant fails to pass a psychological test. The applicant will remain in the no-sell list until the person seeks help.
d) Every time someone tries to buy a gun, they should show their license. The license should be run through a nationwide system and the gun should be registered under the purchaser's name in a nationwide system. If the gun stores try to sell guns without registering them then they can lose their license to sell.
I think all this makes sense, I hope you agree.
With that said, we should not jump into too much regulation or stay with the current almost-no-regulation stance.
I suggest we apply the same model for gun licenses as we do for driver's licenses. Why? Because a car is considered a deadly weapon in some states as well. Here's a simple breakdown of how it would happen.
1) Everyone applying for a gun license must show up at a government facility just like people already do to get a driver's license.
2) Everyone applying for a gun license must pass a written test just like people already do to get a driver's license. Except in this case the test will include gun safety and a psychological test to determine the applicant's current state of mind.
3) Everyone applying for a gun license must pass a practical test just like people already do to get a driver's license. The practical test should determine if the applicant can really handle a gun, shoot it, and is able to store it away safely as well.
4) Retesting should be done every two years or every year to make sure the state of mind of the person is within normal parameters.
5) People must be older than a certain age to use guns.
6) There can be different license categories for different types of weapons.
If this system is applied to gun control it will also help law enforcement in catching criminals and potential mass-shooters. How?
a) Police can arrest someone on-site if someone does not have a valid gun license while carrying a weapon. Especially useful if guns are found in their home or anywhere else. This will be excellent to combat gang violence.
b) Police can get a warrant if a parent or group of concerned citizens believes someone is storing guns without a valid license.
c) Police can add an applicant to a nationwide no-sell list to be sent to all gun stores if an applicant fails to pass a psychological test. The applicant will remain in the no-sell list until the person seeks help.
d) Every time someone tries to buy a gun, they should show their license. The license should be run through a nationwide system and the gun should be registered under the purchaser's name in a nationwide system. If the gun stores try to sell guns without registering them then they can lose their license to sell.
I think all this makes sense, I hope you agree.
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