By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Kristof Asks the Right Question: Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > News > Kristof Asks the Right Question: Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?
News

Kristof Asks the Right Question: Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?

psalber
Last updated: December 17, 2012 8:19 am
psalber
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

I am watching CNN reporters interview various folks about the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut.  Everyone is tip-toeing around the gun issue.  People are saying “we need to come together” – and we do.  ”We need to have more mental health services” – yes, we certainly do.  ”Maybe we need to put police guards in schools,” one guy suggested. Really?  I am not so sure about this one.

I am watching CNN reporters interview various folks about the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut.  Everyone is tip-toeing around the gun issue.  People are saying “we need to come together” – and we do.  ”We need to have more mental health services” – yes, we certainly do.  ”Maybe we need to put police guards in schools,” one guy suggested. Really?  I am not so sure about this one.

I say we need to do something about the guns.  Contrary to the NRA-inspired rhetoric, that we all know so well guns, particularly high powered weapons like the Bushmaster .223 implicated in this particular massacre, do kill people, a they enable murderers to kill lot of them- quickly.

In fact, more in the US than in any other country. But I wonder, as Nicholas Kristof asks in his NY Times column, “Do we have the courage to stop this [madness]?”  Or are we going to continue to allow the lobby for gun dealers (aka the NRA) buy our politicians and brainwash the right.

More Read

stress and burnout in mental health sector
Tips to Manage Stress and Burnout in the Mental Health Sector
Beyond the Fender Bender: Accident Injuries, Actions, and Recovery
7 Painful Ways Untreated Hearing Loss Will Hurt Your Life
Facilitating Telehealth Access For Seniors: 2 Administrative Considerations
Doctors Without Borders Working On Their First US Mission in the United States After Hurricane Sandy

Nick Kristof, Columnist, New York Times

“Why,” Kristof says, “can’t we regulate guns as seriously as we do cars?  The fundamental reason kids are dying in massacres like this one is not that we have lunatics or criminals — all countries have them — but that we suffer from a political failure to regulate guns.”

He notes that, “We…regulate toy guns, by requiring orange tips — but lawmakers don’t have the gumption to stand up to National Rifle Association extremists and regulate real guns as carefully as we do toys.”

“What,” he asks, “do we make of the contrast between heroic teachers who stand up to a gunman and craven,  feckless politicians who won’t stand up to the N.R.A.?”

Some stats from the Kristof piece:

  • Firearms claim one life every 20 minutes
  • More Americans die in gun homicides and suicides in six months than have died in the last 25 years in every terrorist attack and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has five pages of regulations about ladders, while federal authorities shrug at serious curbs on firearms. Ladders kill around 300 Americans a year, and guns 30,000.
  • Australia banned certain rapid fire long guns after a 1996 mass killing that left 35 people dead.  The also implemented a “national firearms agreement,” that led to the buyback of 650,000 guns and to tighter rules for licensing and safe storage of those remaining in public hands. In the 18 years before the law, Australia suffered 13 mass shootings — but not one in the 14 years after the law took full effect. The murder rate with firearms has dropped by more than 40 percent, according to data compiled by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, and the suicide rate with firearms has dropped by more than half.
  • Canada requires a 28-day waiting period to buy a handgun, and it imposes a clever safeguard: gun buyers should have the support of two people vouching for them.

“So what can we do,” asks Kristof? He suggests a “starting point would be to limit gun purchases to one a month, to curb gun traffickers.”  Sorry, Nicholas, this is too wimpy.  We should outright ban assault weapons ownership by the general population.  They simply have no place in a civilized society.  If a gunner really wants to shoot one off at a shooting range, fine, let him/her do that in a carefully controlled environment, but the gun stays at the range under lock and key.

We regulate alcohol (age limits, in some states, like Texas, there are regulations that prohibit buying booz on Sunday mornings, you can’t drink and drive). We regulate cars (seat belts, air bags, child seats, and crash safety standards).  We regulate cigarettes, toxins, recreational drugs, food production, pharmaceuticals, etc. etc. etc.  So why can’t we regulate guns?

We can, but we have to demand it of our politicians, policy makers, and…most of all ourselves.

 

TAGGED:gun control
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

get a first report on injury after an incident
DiagnosticsNews

What’s a First Report of Injury or Illness Form?

September 12, 2022
understand costs of spinal injuries to get the right compensation
NewsPolicy & Law

Assessing the Costs Getting Compensation for Spinal Injuries

June 22, 2022

Bringing Digital Radiology to the Developing World

March 17, 2012
Image
BusinessNewsPublic HealthWellness

Person-Centered HealthCare: NexJ Combines Information Technology and Social Media to Engage Patients

February 1, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?