Guns Guns Guns. They can be a few different things. A tool, a firearm, a weapon e.t.c. We see that these instruments have a wide variety of power and potential just as much as it dose death and destruction. Take a step back and think to yourself about guns. What is it that you personally think about them? Form your own opinion and let me delve you deeper into the matter.

Here is a little background knowledge on problem solving. So these school shootings we're having are definitely not OK and I think we can all agree on that. Right? The thing we can't seem to agree on is how to adapt to the problem let alone solve it. Lately we are thinking of how to immediately make schools safer, ( which in itself isn't a bad idea) but as we all know, you cant cure something if you are treating the symptoms. In order for a cure we have to find the root of the problem and after a lot of thinking I believe that there is a common ground we can all agree on.

I think a good analogy is looking at the situation like cancer. If you treat the symptoms you're just temporarily taking care of the problem and how the person feels and the level of comfort they are in. However this wont actually cure their sickness. This just creates the illusion of a solution, an illusion of comfort much like adding armed guards into schools. In order to cure cancer you have to take it to the root of its source, to eradicate it, only then will the patient be cured and we wont have to treat the symptoms.

My experience of guns and mental health

Here is a bit about my mental health experience and my fire arms experience. I come from a family that put me through boy scouts ( we used and were trained with firearms and other dangerous instruments and how to use and respect them) and we went to the range occasionally as well as own our fair share of firearms. So here is the first thing, I am not a stranger to guns at all but I also am not always comfortable around them. That is because I do not really know the people who are using them. That is the part that scares us the most right? Not the gun but the person holding it. Something to think about isn't it?

Now a bit about my mental health past history ( just for the sake of showing I know a thing or two). I have always struggled with depression, anxiety and at some points self harm. To shed some light on how to help others understand self harm is that Self harm is a coping skill some people use and although its unhealthy its to make us not focus on our mental pain but now we have to focus on our physical pain. It seems like the people who are doing this share a same trait. Incorrect coping skills, and that right there is when the downhill spiral can suck you in. Having emotions is normal and healthy but how we react to them is whats most important.

However the part we have to also realize for the sake of understanding is that not all mentally ill people are dangerous. We still want to be treated like normal people and deserve to be. we all want the same respect. The specific common trait these school shooters share is most likely low self esteem, violent outrages, unreasonable responses to problems and erroneous problem solving skills. But it certainly goes deeper. These people are hurt people who most likely feel like they have no other choice

Some factors to consider

The era of technology we live in today has brought a vast allowance for communication between everyone. This is a good thing but can be used for wrong just like firearms. Cyber bullying and bullying on its own has gotten worse over the years and a lot of people often say and do things without thinking of the consequences. We see this from the spike in suicides, children on medication for anxiety and depression, a rise in children going to therapy. Not to mention people are just generally more negative to each other especially when they are young and ignorant to their ways of their own thinking. It can sometimes spark by the way we treat each other or are treated by our families.

In a younger persons mind it can be hard to always look at the big picture and find balance in your life, especially when life around you is always so busy and were worried a lot more about productivity and success than our mental stability. Only recently has mental health become bigger and that is clearly a good thing, its something that can shed some light as to how other people think and break down problems. Every problem has a solution, its up to the person to pick which solution they seem best fit and if their thinking is erroneous then so will be their solution and it could create more problems for themselves.

These school shooters are hurt and scared if anything and definitely dangerous, some might say we should lock any suspects up to prevent the problem, but what solution would that bring, that is not a fair solution, its not humane, lets look for one that best suites everyone. Perhaps people that show traits of misusing firearms or have some sort of mental violent out lash should get better mental health care? Lets give them some free therapy sessions and go from there. Lets get to know how to help these people and how they work rather than just looking them as a statistic and going from there. Lets look at the big picture instead, that is how we will find a more effective solution.

Now i'm not saying everyone who owns a gun is bad, nor is using it in a life threatening situation, however if you think that giving more people guns or taking them away is the right answer then I urge you to rethink your solution. As we know life requires balance, this goes the same to say about the way we should solve things and treat important topics and objects. Being totally one sided has never won a situation in a correct or effective way nor will it. It just seems to temporarily solve the problem while giving time for a new one to arise. Then we are stuck in a endless cycle of just treating the symptoms and not solving the real problem.

So to sum things up, I know that no solution seems easy and some sacrifices will need to be made but if its only for temporarily then maybe that's what we need, the solution isn't adding guns everywhere nor is it completely removing them. Personally I don't even think its completely about regulating them. At the end of the day were dealing with unstable kids with guns who should have no access to guns in the first place. So clearly its not all about the gun accessibility to everyone but more so the way we treat them and think about them. We really just have to be cautious and use common sense but also be aware of how people can act and react and how they feel about them.

Here is some things we need to realize and take into consideration

1. We all need to get on the same page and communicate our feelings on the matter and look at other peoples perspectives.
2. We need to also recognize that this is the safety of the children and they need to have a voice as much as we do.
3. Putting guns in a school will not solve the problem and might make mental health of students worse than it already is ( and trust me it isn't good already)
4. Guns are not the danger, its the people using them but they still are dangerouse)
5. We need to all share an input and understand each other but it needs to be done in a peaceful way otherwise we will go nowhere.
6. We need to see how to adapt to the problem at hand while working to solve it at its core.
7. You cant blame this soley at polotics or a single politician because thats just false blame.
8. This is a problem we are all dealing with now and something we all need to communicate our feelings on and how to value our own and other peoples views.

Things that might also be effecting their state of minds

• Medication
• lack of proper health care for mental help
• Abuse
• Mental health stigma
• Strong emotions that don't know how to be tamed (fear, anger, anxiety e.t.c)
• Bullying (kids can be assholes often times)
• A sense of hopelessness
• Video games ( they affect us more than we think)

Mental Health statistics and facts

• Over 45 Million Americans have a mental disorder.
• Nearly half have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder.
• 56% of Americans who suffered a mental disorder were not able to receive treatment.
• 9.6 Million Americans experiences suicidal idealization.
• 7.7% of youth have no access to mental health through private insurance.
• Over 1.7 million kids with major depressive episodes did not receive treatment.
• We have a shortage of mental health providers.
• Four times as many men than women commit suicide. However, women attempt suicide more often than men.
• Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder.
• Panic disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood.
• Social phobia typically begins in childhood or adolescence.
• The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in Caucasian men over age 85. However, suicide is also one of the leading causes of death in adolescents and adults ages 15 to 24.

My Final Words to you

Now that I have taught you a bit more on the subject its up to you, yes you the person reading this, to help and take action. I have given you the knowledge, now we all need to help to apply it so we can try to solve this detrimental problem, even if it dose not effect you immediately.

As much as you hate these people and think they are monsters you must realize this, at the end of the day, monsters are not real, they do not exist, just broken and corrupt humans who need help. - Alex Levy