In various communities across the nation, the debate continues over how to prevent another school tragedy such as the mass killing of children in Newtown, Conn., last week.
While some have made this moment a time for a discussion on gun control — and this is an appropriate time to have that discussion — it also is a time to look beyond the gun issue as a way to solve the problem.
If every legal gun owner did what one did last Friday to more than 20 people who were innocent, unarmed victims, guns would be outlawed. Even if there were more stringent gun laws, what happened in Connecticut may not have been stopped by a law. Laws have a way of being broken every day.
What is clear is that the shooter in this case — and in several others — had problems beyond carrying guns. While the nation has been proactive in passing legislation such as the Brady Bill to screen handgun sales, the nation has done little to screen adults and children for mental illnesses – or enough to treat them properly.
Granted, we don’t know whether mental health treatment could have prevented this tragedy. What we do know is that this person was a recluse who had a history of social problems. What we do know is that a congresswoman named Gabby Giffords of Arizona nearly lost her life and some around her at a town meeting did lose theirs.
To that end, we no longer have those types of meetings in Logansport and many other communities because of the potential threat of violence. What we do know is that a gunman also killed innocent people in Colorado who were simply trying to enjoy a movie drama and didn’t want a real-life drama that left customers dead.
These problems occur when places such as Four County Counseling Center in Logansport, Peru, Rochester and Winamac are not adequately funded to serve the people who truly need services. Since there is a stigma attached to mental illness and the mental health industry has a limited political influence in Washington and state capitals, the need for funding to deal with chronically mentally ill people may not be met. There are few public service ads describing what mental illness is and where treatment can be found. There are few insurance companies that aggressively tout the benefit of mental health treatment as a necessary coverage because it adds cost to premiums.
But if we all could pull together and work just a bit harder at ensuring there is treatment available for those who need it and that those who need it know where to get that treatment, tragedies that can’t be prevented with more gun control or locks on school doors could potentially be prevented.
On Friday, this issue affected Newtown, Conn., worse than anything else in the community’s history. It could affect Logansport, Peru, Rochester, Delphi or Winamac tomorrow. Because of that, it potentially affects us all.
Dave Kitchell is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at ptnews@pharostribune.com.
Opinion
KITCHELL: A problem that goes beyond guns
- Opinion
-
-
OUR VIEW: Are you prepared for a disaster?
As you read today’s final installment on disaster preparedness, which focuses on earthquakes and their very real threat right here in Indiana, we hope you take the message to heart and make the decision to prepare yourself. If you don’t, no one else will.
-
KNISELY: What are odds of that?
As you read this, I’ll be basking in the warm sun on a Florida beach. I’m not sure where you’ll be when reading this, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be coming out the winner. Seems only fair considering I was moving boxes in the rain just a few Sundays ago.
-
PUBLIC FORUM: Minimize our risk before making bet
A Logansport letter-writer calls a local proposal to generate energy from refuse-derived fuels a risky gamble.
-
PUBLIC FORUM: Thanks for making event a success
A Big Brothers, Big Sisters representative is grateful for the community's support in a recent fundraiser.
- THORNS & ROSES: Week of May 16
-
WOLFSIE: Writing on the walls
Sometimes when I am trying to think of an idea for my column, I just stare at the wall. That’s not a bad thing, because on the wall in my home office is a collection of special pieces of memorabi-lia that inspire me to write, reminding me of the talented people I have had the privilege to meet.
-
HAYDEN: From good to great in education not the way
On the campaign trail last year and early into his administration, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said repeatedly that his goal as governor would be to take Indiana from “good to great.”
-
THEIR VIEW: Big Brother looms large in D.C.
The federal government, working under the cloak of secrecy, has been having a heyday at the expense of all Americans.
First we learn the IRS has been targeting conservatives — applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were wrongly singled out for extra scrutiny. -
KITCHELL: Waste-to-energy a big waste of time
Had all of Logansport attended the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists Awards ceremony last month in Indianapolis, we all would have learned that the No. 1 editorial written in the state in the past year was about a subject that sounds familiar to Logansport residents.
-
THEIR VIEW: Keep teens safe on the roadways
Indiana was able to achieve welcome decreases in teen-driving deaths after adopting graduated driver’s license laws. But it appears some of the benefits of easing teen drivers more slowly into the responsibilities associated with driving are leveling off.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
OUR VIEW: Are you prepared for a disaster?
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
