Gun control law reform

Gun Control Law reform is being debated heatedly.

In the news “Gun control efforts face an uphill battle against a powerful pro-gun lobby and a strong U.S. tradition of hunting and gun ownership. The right to bear arms is guaranteed to Americans in the U.S. Constitution.”

There is something more at a local level individuals and families can do to aid in preventing tragedies surrounding the safety of our communities. It may take a moment to consider the options but isn't it worth a moment or two?

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre with the loss of 20 children and 6 educators. The survivors headed back to class.

After a 5 year old boy was taken hostage in Alabama this week the youngster celebrated his sixth birthday at home.

After Michael Beaudry age 20, killed his father in Weymouth his mother had to bury her husband, alone.

So how do we protect our families? The answer always begins within the home.

There are basic safety measures we would do well to consider. Refreshing ourselves with safety education both in the home and in public would certainly do us no harm. Now is not a time for complacency.

Michael Varner of Maxx Training Center in Stoughton, MA has been working with children for many years. Varner’s focus group on Stranger Danger is more than the basic rules:

“We do mock drills showing good and bad body language and ask the kids, ‘Is this friendly behavior?’ Varner confided, “It’s got to be repeated over and over just like any subject in school.” There is good and bad stimuli. “Everything we see, hear and experience gets filed in our mental rolodex, and you have to show examples kids need a comparison.”

Most trained civil servants are trained to do the observing for us. But Michael makes a crucial point, “Observe, be vigilant, be aware of the surroundings."

Starting to notice the smaller things and undercurrents going on around us can make the difference:

Before United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center 10 hijackers maneuvered through Boston Logan airport. All were cleared through security. The al-Ghamdi brothers boarded the plane with mace and knives hidden away.

Before the Oklahoma City Massacre April 1995 killed 168 people and injured 800+ others Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Before a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, Holmes told a classmate that he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting. Ten people died at the scene and two died in local hospitals.

Most cases show some form of mental instability related to the attacker or extreme duress.

It is not hard to recognize the need for more support within a troubled family or the large amount of strangers we see in public that have mental health issues. Unfortunately the governments answer to curtailing the problem is to have access to medical records.

Again, this could be rectified on a more basic level. The stigma surrounding mental health causes the majority to “not tell’. There are many long lasting and devastating side effects to not receiving help. As there could also be once a family does receive ‘help’. Face it. The fear of having a Social service worker in the home, asking personal questions, is daunting.

Most parents haven’t found the answers yet which ultimately leads to the break-up of a family unit. This fear stops many single parents from seeking help; it stops all types of families.

Whatever the cognitive process people use to convince themselves they can handle mental health problems alone has to be readjusted. There are no simple, quick answers to this debate.

Breaking the silence has to be done in a healthy positive way.

This nation was built on the backs of its citizens. Although it seems our backs have almost broken over the strain of recent wars and recession, becoming better educated should not be a burden. Contact your local police or fire department and ask about seminars in safety. If taking a safety class doesn't fit your present schedule. Make some room!

When it comes to gun control and you are in possession of weapons. Always consider no matter how lovely your display in the den may look; most weapons should be in a solidly locked casing (no glass to break) and within a room with the ability to lock the door. It may not be the owner who would use a weapon to destroy lives, but a visitor, another occupant in the house or a vandal.

“Whether premeditated or due to natural causes.” M.Varner states “We have to be aware.”

Michael Varner is Head coach/owner at Maxx Training Center, holding a welterweight title. Actively a staunch advocate for the town of Stoughton, MA and its families in bullying prevention and a Smoke Free Stoughton.