Erick Mendez
Contributing Writer
It is with great sadness that the problem involving gun violence in the community is at an all-time high. I’d like to declare that I have a proposal to counter this. This is no magic bullet in this smoking gun, however that doesn’t mean there is zero answer to gun violence.
My proposal begins with the thesis that every arms dealer needs to filter out responsible gun owners from those with premeditated evil intent.
The best way to do it will be to create an infrastructure that amalgamates mental health practitioners and the arms industry as one. The State of Florida must mandate that psychological testing is conducted toward new and existing clients as a requirement for purchasing weapons.
If any client is purchasing firearms, they normally would have to wait on a short background check to be completed. What if during those few days or more, we could use that time to create room for an interview established by a professional in mental health?
If red flags are suspected, the client will be legally restricted from obtaining anything. I call this evaluation a foreground check because this is a one-on-one in-person screening process.
Many will argue that this is the government invading the lives of those attempting to exercise their Second Amendment right. I say BS given the National Rifle Association’s attempts to influence the judgement of Congress.
In contrast to the NRA, many Americans, including lawful gun owners are for stronger background checks. For this organization and its puppet politicians such as Florida’s Marco Rubio, it’s about $3,000,000 worth of donations, or blood money used to keep ammunition a booming industry.
I’d like to take a moment to ask where these crusaders of the Second Amendment were, when legally armed black men in the streets laid dying holding their weapons, as any white man would.
Where were the NRA during the trial of Trayvon Martin’s killer to echo the notion that guns protect people?
As with cigarettes, and alcohol, guns are a booming industry designed to exploit citizens unwitting to the dangers around them.
The Second Amendment as with the First Amendment is what I acknowledge as a constitutional right in the USA. Laws are not only words though.
They are to be policed by the community. This is the difference between the letter of the law and the intention. For the NRA, it’s a very selective thinking pattern. Their agenda is about the dollar, always.
In further regards to my plan, it may take more than one session to conduct an evaluation on any one person. A clinical professional must convey to a dealer whether a client is a danger to themselves, someone else, or not at all.
Any reason behind the denial of a weapon must be kept confidential from a dealer. The client will then be referred to counseling via a mental health agency of their choosing.
I realize that getting care in mental health is not easy. Many clients cannot afford to pay out of pocket or carry insurance to see a doctor.
Staff at the office are overworked, underpaid and booked with a limit of client cases. People in the street are striving for a fraction of attention they can’t get access to.
The universal access to treatment needs to be encouraged by our government. In my time working at a mental health facility, I’ve met victims of sexual assault, drug addicts, the homeless, working class parents, the unemployed and war veterans.
All in all, this is only one symptom of a much larger conflict at hand. The legal system, the gun industry, the authorities, and more all seem to be disconnected from a true solution to gun violence.
Today, I can only talk about why mental health can now no longer be ignored. I don’t believe there has ever been a system such as my idea proposed and implemented.
I’m 27-years-old, a college student, and not a politician serving in office.
To those working in the United States Congress currently, this is my idea and it’s free. Just remember to put my name on it.
Photo credit: www.nymag.com