LETTER: Curb gun deaths by treating a primary cause—mental health

To Ozaukee Press:

Calling Democrats “atheist-Communists” and the National Rifle Association a “terrorist organization,” as we’ve heard since the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting, is doing nothing to actually address the growing problem of death by firearms in the United States. It’s little publicized, but almost half of the gun deaths in this country are suicides, and large numbers also occur in domestic disputes fueled by addiction and depression problems. It’s time to stop vilifying both sides in the debate and treat the mental health issues underlying most of the violence.

The president’s proposed budget actually cuts funding for mental health treatment. If you want to make an immediate impact on the number of deaths involving firearms, call our representatives and demand increased funding for mental health care. It will have a significant impact long before the warring sides make headway on any gun control measures.

Violence is embedded in this country’s history and there’s no real evidence it’s increasing. What has changed is the number of groups of people society considers unimportant, expendable and not worth noting if they fall victim to violence.

We’re old enough to remember compulsory prayer in school, and while we were all praying, the newspapers carried stories about public lynchings. It was legal to beat and rape your wife, abuse your children and deny service to citizens based on their skin color, to beat, abuse, rob and murder them if they offended the sensibilities of a more privileged person. Many of us were praying that changed and it has. Now it’s time to finish the work to create a healthy society.

Elizabeth O’Connell and Tom Hudson

Port Washington