The president has now begun his near dictatorial approach to needless gun control with twenty three executive orders. Congress (although more guarded) is also in panic mode to develop and pass legislation as an attempt to satisfy citizen concern over the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
With that in mind the lyrics of the old Johnny Cash song seem to ring out:
Don't take your guns to town son
Leave your guns at home Bill
Don't take your guns to town
Those lyrics have never been truer.
The 20 year old shooter, Adam Lanza should have never had access to his mother’s guns in the first place. He should never have brought them to the school and he should have never been able to gain such ease of access to the campus or allowed admittance.
All indications are this young man was troubled and mentally ill; his mother was even trying to gain guardianship and have him committed to an institution.
It wasn’t the gun(s), it was the gunman, Adam Lanza. Let me reiterate that Mr. President, Congressman and Senators, it wasn’t the gun, it was the gunman, Adam Lanza and his state of mind.
This young man was apparently so paranoid over his mother’s attempt to get him institutionalized that he would have committed harm to his mother, himself and others even without a gun(s). There are numerous items and devices he could have used.
An anxious, depressed and/or psychotic condition (either not recognized or under control) is capable of anything. Please remember that.
As the battle over gun control continues, we need to be reminded once again that it is not guns that kill people but people who kill people.
As one who supports the second amendment unconditionally and as one named Outlaw we should also be reminded that if guns are banned "only outlaws will have guns"; real outlaws and not just those named Outlaw such as myself.
Gun controls, gun laws and even the banishment of the sale of guns will never eliminate the use of guns and their subsequent consequences.
Everything being discussed and proposed by the current administration has been done before; either here on the state level or in other countries and the violence and deaths by guns has never diminished.
Mexico is a prime example. Mexico is in this writer’s back yard; literally only four miles from my house here in Brownsville, Texas. As you approach the International Bridge and border crossing, large green signs with very large letters read, “It is illegal to carry or possess guns or ammunition in Mexico”. If you do and get caught or are even a Mexican citizen and get caught, you could end up spending the rest of your life in prison.
The truth however, is that the “outlaws/ bandoleros” still buy, sell, trade and own guns in Mexico. The drug cartels which have never lived under or by the law buy guns directly from China, Russia or Israel and get them straight off the freighters that enter Mexican ports. They turn around and sell them on the black market just like they do their other products.
Death and violence by guns continues at an alarming rate. Mexican gangs are so bold they don’t even hesitate to assassinate their local government officials.
The stronger the laws get on gun control in Mexico the bolder the outlaws become.
Now with stronger Mexican gun laws preventing citizens to have guns, the outlaws and cartels are free to roam the streets and country sides with ease and in many cases control entire towns and counties. Many areas which once had official police and law enforcement have now had to bring in Federal troops to control those areas and in some cases the actual troops had to leave because the cartels were larger, better trained and had better weapons.
At one time my family and I loved going to Mexico to shop and eat out but now, it is quite frightening to see both cartels and Mexican troops patrolling the streets with automatic weapons. Needless to say we don’t visit anymore and that is very sad as a Rio Grande Valley resident where Mexico has always been such a vital part of our life here. Mexico is a beautiful country with beautiful and mostly kind, gentle loving people.
The President and congress should heed the example of Mexico. Not only will our communities become less safe with greater gun controls, the increased violence will also deter growth in industry, business and tourism leading ultimately to less revenue.
Ultimately it is all about education.
As a psychologist counselor, I believe we need to start with comprehensive mental health training and evaluations for all students starting in kindergarten. This would involve yearly personality profile and cognitive assessments, EEG, MRI and complete blood panels on every student.
We should work extensively via every possible media to eliminate the negative stigma which for the past century has been associated with the mental health field. People (especially children and teens) should not have to look over their shoulder constantly for fear they will be made fun of for seeing the school or campus mental health professional.
We must have better trained teachers, counselors and even students looking for personality disorder warning signs for which help can be obtained at the earliest age. There should be mandatory yearly CEU requirements for teachers in this area of emphasis.
Allot of what our children experience in life is learned and their behaviors can be modified easily through proper therapy but when that is not possible, there are other available medical options and solutions.
We also need to teach proper behavior and manners in our schools and demonstrate such from teachers, counselors and administrators. Included in this should be the encouragement to seek out spiritual guidance through the religious identity or institution of the student and/or family’s choice. Although it should always be a choice and no substitute for proper mental health care, it should never be discouraged either as is currently often done.
We should make anger and stress management classes available free of charge at all schools and colleges with at least one trained professional and not just a student intern.
Finally in the area of education, we should begin teaching proper gun safety and use in the schools at the earliest age and require all of our teachers to be thoroughly trained in and carry a concealed fire arm.
It should be noted that many boarding and prep schools have gun and rifle use as part of their curriculum as do all military schools; when is the last time you heard of a massacre at one of those schools?
We should also place armed guards at the entrance to every school. This would increase safety and provide tens of thousands of new jobs nationwide.
This is a real genuine workable concept to protect our children, provide new jobs, develop a more stable American mental health and preserve our second amendment rights.
Oh yes, one last thing: Don't take your guns to town son
Leave your guns at home Bill
Don't take your guns to town (…….. save them for target practice, hunting or self defense).
And please Mr. President, don’t take our guns away.
Please click LIKE and share if you agree that this is a workable concept.
© 2012 Dr. Lee W. Outlaw III
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