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
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Is More Gun Control the RIght Prescription?
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 > Policy & Law > Is More Gun Control the RIght Prescription?
Policy & Law

Is More Gun Control the RIght Prescription?

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE
Guns are in the news again.  Here are some incontrovertible facts.
 
  • Mass murders committed by young males have become a new phenomenon in American life.
  • Individuals who should not be permitted to own a firearm can legally purchase one.
  • Many other advanced nations have much lower incidences of mass killings.
  • There is no political solution to this issue in sight.
 

I remain skeptical  that restricting guns will make us safer.

Guns are in the news again.  Here are some incontrovertible facts.
 
  • Mass murders committed by young males have become a new phenomenon in American life.
  • Individuals who should not be permitted to own a firearm can legally purchase one.
  • Many other advanced nations have much lower incidences of mass killings.
  • There is no political solution to this issue in sight.
 

I remain skeptical  that restricting guns will make us safer.  I doubt that further legal restrictions against buying guns would apply to criminals who by definition are law breakers.  I concede that we should consider additional barriers to keeping guns away from those who are mentally unstable.  I challenge any reader here to offer a template on how we might accomplish this.  There are tens of millions of Americans with mental illness or a history of mental disease.  Assuming we could identify these millions of citizens, how would we use this information in the event that some of them wanted to buy a gun?  Consider these facts.

 
 
 
  •  The vast majority of mentally ill Americans will never commit violence.
  • Medical ethics and privacy regulations do not permit identifying mentally ill people. 
  • New or existing laws would not have prevented most or all of these mass killings.
  • We have no reliable method to predict a person’s violent potential.

Even if we could eliminate these horrible paroxysms of violence – a worthy and necessary societal objective – we should realize that most of the hundreds of thousands of yearly deaths by gun are not mass murders.

 
 
Is this the enemy?
 
An overall reduction of violence will not be solved by incarceration or gathering up guns.  The solution that continues to evade us will be as much from economic social, and educational policies as from our legal response.  I am not ‘blaming society’ for the actions of criminals.  But, I do believe that the solution will be of societal origin. 
 
 
I know many gun owners.  I understand their passion in protecting their constitutional right to own a firearm.  They recoil when gun control advocates pose questions such as, ‘why does one person need so many guns?’  They believe that unfettered gun ownership is their right and it is not for others to limit it.  Many of us use the same argument with regard to free speech.  Ugly speech and provocative art are protected.  Haven’t we heard protests against offensive art by those who argue ‘why should a museum display this filth’?   I
 

Like everyone, I am angry, vexed and ashamed.  As physicians understand, making the diagnosis is often the easy part.

More Read

Health Care: A Modern-Day Blade Runner?
When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
The Top 7 ICD-10 Implementation Resources
New Research on ACOs and the Accountable Care Opportunity
Rising Health Costs Affect Us All
 
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Some Companies to Consider Jettisoning Coverage under Exchanges by 2014

August 24, 2011
Image
Public Health

Person-Centered HealthCare: ClearHealthCosts Offers Cost Transparency

October 5, 2012

Mass. Study – Insurance Costs Still Too High

March 9, 2011
Global HealthcareHealth careMedical Records

Dissatisfaction with Billing Companies Starts with Lack of Clarity of What is Expected

May 9, 2018
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?