Gun Control Case Study

Register to read the introduction… The majority of violent crimes in the United States are committed by men (Gun Control, 2013). The fact that a gun or guns were used in the commission of these crimes does not, in itself, warrant the removal of weapons from society. If this were the case we would need to remove all alcohol which causes more deaths annually than all firearms-related deaths. The one commonality in all of these occurrences is the state of mind and mental health of the shooters. In all of the examples presented so far, there were signs and indications that each individual had some sort of mental disorder. Each case has significant differences, but all suspects, as verified by family, friends, colleagues, and professionals showed signs of disturbing or anti-social behavior (Ollove, 2013). In two cases in particular, those of Eduardo Sencion and Seung-Hui Cho, disturbing signs of paranoia and isolationism were apparent long before they committed their crimes. As Cole (2007) states in his article “In hindsight, there were signs that Cho might be a threat to himself and possibly others, including complaints as far back as 2005 by two female students who reported receiving inappropriate messages from Cho” (Para. 4). Family of Eduardo Sencion had reported his violent and paranoid behavior to police two years prior to his shooting spree. Police had responded to an incident at his home but no actions were taken nor were any firearms …show more content…
(Para. 4) The fear with this type of action is the fear of an overreaching government that violates the civil rights of an individual’s right-to-privacy laws. This argument becomes moot when, as Swanson indicates, the duty of a physician or mental healthcare professional or provider is the protection from harm of the patient and those to whom the harm may befall. No violation of rights is established by protecting society from a dangerous individual. Limiting weapons to law-abiding citizens is not a solution for ending gun violence in the United States. Crisis-driven policies are made based on emotion and tend to have affects that can be damaging over an extended period of time (Swanson, 2013). It is clear that these crimes are committed by individuals who do not comply with the same standards of “normal and sane” that the majority of society adheres to. Creating laws that would have an impact on those without these violent inclinations would do little to curb the violence of those who do not or would not abide by these laws in the first place. Studies consistently show that 98 percent of registered gun owners will never use their weapons in a violent or harmful manner toward another human being (Gun Control, 2013). In addition, the right to bear arms is a constitutionally protected right that cannot be infringed.