Focusing on Potential Victims Can Prevent Violence
This opinion piece, from the WaPo, is one of the most original and provocative contributions to the gun debate that I've stumbled across in a long time. It's easy to focus on the object of violence while ignoring the root cause of the violence.
As Joe Rogan once said, "America has a mental health problem disguised as gun problem..." I couldn't agree more. In order to overcome a culture geared towards violence, we must embrace love, and embrace each other. Be there for each other, help each other, listen to each other.
"Older men, who make up the largest share of gun suicides, need better access to people who could care for them and get them help. Women endangered by specific men need to be prioritized by police, who can enforce restraining orders prohibiting these men from buying and owning guns. Younger men at risk of violence need to be identified before they take a life or lose theirs and to be connected to mentors who can help them de-escalate conflicts...
We save lives by focusing on a range of tactics to protect the different kinds of potential victims and reforming potential killers, not from sweeping bans focused on the guns themselves."