Letters to newspapers in eastern Virginia following the
March 24th March For Our Lives
claimed that gun violence in this country is not the result of gun ownership. That
is simply not true.
One author selectively cited statistics on gun violence,
while another cited his credentials, as a psychologist, to claim the marchers
didn’t know history, suffered from naiveté, and had a sense of moral
superiority.
It is a standard debate rule to never argue using flawed or
selective statistics. It most certainly is not a good idea to try and win an
argument with arrogance. The two letters critical of the march probably did
more to strengthen the marchers’ case than anything else in the paper.
There are facts that people such as the two letter writers
never address. For example, every day 90 Americans are killed by guns, 31 of
those are murder victims and another 151 Americans are treated for gunshot
wounds, according to the Brady Foundation. (Unlike the letter writers, I give
my sources.) As for suicides, every day an average of 55 people kill themselves
with guns and another 46 people are shot or killed by accident with guns. Those
figures are shocking—and they do not represent naiveté.
Perhaps the most disappointing letter was from the psychologist.
He, more than anyone, should know that after the mass carnage at Virginia Tech,
politicians of all stripes vowed more money for mental health care. Yet today,
Virginia spends less on mental health than it did on the eve of the Blacksburg
killings. And, psychologists remain silent on the subject. Improved mental
health is most definitely part of preventing gun violence, and for anyone in the
psychology profession to remain silent on what has happened to mental health
care in Virginia is stunningly callus and unprofessional. (To be continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment