JHSPH Magazine Forum on Reducing Gun Deaths

Messages

• On 6/24/2009 at 9:24 AM, William from Baltimore wrote:
  Actually enforce the laws that are already on the books regardless of political pressure.
• On 2/18/2009 at 7:59 PM, Buddy from NE Indiana wrote:
  All Americans who wish to purchase, carry, and/or use a firearm should be required to complete 8hrs of classroom instruction followed by 16hrs of field training. Training should include proper methods of gun cleaning and storage. Passing tests and/or earning achievements should be required before permits are allowed to purchase or use firearms. No permit: No firearm. Seperate permits issued for handguns, rifles, et cetera, based on type, should be manated. Laws should be passed that require guns to be both empty and safety locked when not in direct possession of the owner. Teach people how to handle guns properly and accidents will be reduced.
• On 1/22/2009 at 9:16 PM, Michael Suen from Hinsdale, Illinois wrote:
  I think there are many ways to look at the gun problem in America and certain cities that seem to have a lot more of a reputation for gun violence. The reason for gun violence is usually unrelated to actually having the gun, but is a consequence of multiple causes and issues that are reflective of the societal values, conditions, and stresses at large. First, it is notable that a majority of gun related-deaths are also gang related and drug related. The question must then be asked: why do gangs form? Why are drugs used/sold? The simple answer is: easy cash. Looking back at the era of prohibition, we can note it uniformly for the large increase in violent crimes and gang related crime. Why? Because the government had just banned a widely used item that now became profitable due to its forbidden quality. As a result, gangs became profitable, and seen as an easy way of making money by mob bosses, etc. The people who joined and followed these criminal leaders were often people of the lower societal rankings who would, otherwise, likely have no other job or means to make a living. Next, the violence. Most of the violence in that era was in relation to competition, as well as to legalities, etc. Gangs make money by selling their items in large quantities to as many buyers as possible, but as Darwin''s "survival of the fittest" can attest to: when multiple groups are all trying to sell to the same crowd, things can get ugly; especially with guns. Now, certainly people will argue about video game induced violence, or our second amendment rights, but it must also be remembered that a very large portion of gun-related violence is drug-related and gang-related. The question now should be: how can we minimize and derail the gang and drug-culture, especially now in a time of Economic Depression when far more people are vulnerable and/or open to this alternative way of making a living?
• On 12/24/2008 at 6:14 AM, Dilip Ray from Baltimore wrote:
  DRUG Culture and GUN Culture are inseparable. Large numbers if not most of the criminal uses of gun will be diminished if something can be done about dealing with all aspects of illegal drug (particularly financial aspect) uses.
• On 12/10/2008 at 9:58 AM, John Umhau MD MPH from NIAAA / NIH wrote:
  The focus on guns as the problem ignores the massive literature which supports treating much of what can be described as "impulsive" violence as a biological problem related to neuropsychaitric dysfunction. Perhaps a new public health approach is needed that has a focus on preventing and treating this type of brain dysfunction.
• On 12/8/2008 at 4:53 PM, Bill Bruzy from Austin, Texas wrote:
  Although I'm not a fan of letting everyone have all the guns they want I do recognize that for a gun to wreak havoc, the trigger has to be pulled by someone. A major cause of gun violence is mood. Since graduating from JHSPH in the mid-70s I've spent many years working with drug and alcohol issues. This country is mood disordered. Unstable moods leading to relational violence, mood alteration with illegal drugs and the whole market force ecology of that, moods of fear, all contribute to the reactive and reflexive action of blowing away the problem with the powerful tool at hand. Gun violence is a reflection of how we handle feelings in our culture. We overpower them. We need to get beyond the model of blowing away our problems with overwhelming firepower, be it Prozac, pot, or a 9mm.
• On 11/24/2008 at 11:44 PM, Albert Crouch from wrote:
  In my opinion there is not a good enough reason to maintain in the U.S Constitution a 2nd amendment. In the past, maybe it was necessary to protect civilians from undesired militias, but nowadays there exist other laws to protect those issues. Maybe it is time not to focus on the attackers, but more on the gun makers for their irresponsible sales and distribution to civilians.
• On 11/17/2008 at 4:45 AM, DR.NIRAJ KUMAR JHA from INDIA wrote:
  Gun related violence prevention is very essential for social change. This is the social responsibility for human being. This can be prevented by proper employment, availability of external & internal resources, stress management, motivation and information, education and communication about social responsibility. Give meditation and yoga therapy.
• On 11/14/2008 at 2:53 AM, Jame Retief from Afghanistan wrote:
  The willingness to use guns to cause death is not because of guns. It is the culture which says that the application of POWER by ANY MEANS is valid. Treat the disease, not the symptoms. My home has many guns and many other more easily acquired weapons. I grew up with several guns in the house. Oddly enough, I never shot anyone nor did my brothers & sisters. Get your cause & effects straight as we can see in countries that have banned firearms have experienced INCREASES in violent crimes, not decreases.
• On 11/13/2008 at 6:43 PM, John Gillette from Brea, CA wrote:
  More intensive and proper training in safety, such as provided for household chemicals, kite flying around power lines. Treat criminals as criminals. Take away usage privileges for those abusing the privilege, especially those drinking and using. whoops, you weren''t talking about cars, you were talking about guns. When you said carnage, I guess you were being misleading. As a member of a multi-generational and multi-branched family in both the military and law enforcement, with gun storage history probably less than considered adequate by some, I would like to point out that proper training has resulted in nobody hurt and nobody killed accidentally. Several of the law enforcement members and military have used guns effectively on purpose. However, the doctors and nurses at the local "best" hospital nearly crippled my wife and disabled her for several years. Guess which group needs more training in my view?