‘Want To Stop Gun Violence? Here’s How.

BY JOHN DE GROOT, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR 2/18/2018

Gun violence is on the rise in the United States. And there are plenty of studies that show why. Depending on what side of the spectrum you sit determines your emotional attachment to the issue. But let’s look at both the emotional side and facts.

Facts say that if you are a domestic violent person, you are way more likely to commit the atrocities that have occurred in the last two recent major shootings in the US. (Link Here) This is true of the “Florida School Shooting” (Link Here) , as well as the “Florida Night Club Shooting” (Link Here). Both of these shooters were involved in domestic violence— a tragedy in and of itself, previous to the utmost of tragedies.

So the gun people don’t want to reduce their guns. Their argument is that it’s not the gun that kills people, but its people that kill people. And it is, after all, a second amendment right.

The anti-guns people want to get rid of other people’s guns, and the thinking is that if there’s no gun, there’s no way someone can shoot someone else. Now we can point to gun free zones, and Chicago – the gun killing capital of the nation, or even the gun free zones of the Florida schools. People are still getting killed regardless of the argument.

What about a completely different solution?

Let’s look at an American pilot for a second. In order to fly a plane, you need a few things. A pilot’s license, for sure. Then the appropriate ratings and certifications based on the type of airplane you fly. But did you know you needed something else? Yup! You need what they call an “Airman’s Medical”. There are at least three types of Airman’s Medicals available and they are all based on the mission that the pilot wants to fly. The more lives involved in the mission requires the most stringent of medicals and how many times a year you have to keep renewing. So the medicals can vary from a 6-month renewal to a 3-year renewal – all based on who you’re flying around.

So what if we took this type of strategy towards guns, and gun ownership?

Let’s say you want a gun. You need to get the standard gun permits required by your state, etc. But now, let’s add a psychological medical evaluation to this equation. Here’s a first draft of what should be proposed:

  1. Signatures. You’d need at least 3 signatures that can validate your mental health. This could mean your spouse, family member, or domestic partner and/or your friends.
  2. Psychological medical doctor sign-off. The psychological medical doctor would need to know your medical history, as well as any psychological medications that you take or are on.
  3. The medical is dynamic. You and/or your doctor must report changes to your medical in 10 days. That means, if you are prescribed medication conducive to homicidal tendencies, you must self report. If you don’t, your medical is immediately void. You now need a new signoff by a medical doctor to reinstate.
  4. Civil law background check. There would be an inquiry on your local/state/federal level of domestic violence records, and known terrorist affiliations.
  5. Psychological rights. By signing this paper, you give up your rights of privacy so law enforcement can validate and check your record at any time. Or give up your medical to get your privacy back.
  6. Renewable. The medical have to be renewed every three years or longer based on the individual’s career path. For example, if you’re in law enforcement, your medical would be good for 5 years, or 7, or 10 years since there are already psychological barriers that need to be passed in order to legally carry for law enforcement.
  7. No valid medical? No guns. With no medical, your guns can be confiscated for a set period of time. Let’s say 6 months, or enough time for you to reinstate your medical in good standing. Otherwise you must sell, or give away your arms to any other valid medical recipient.
  8. Federal Law. This would be a national database, much like aviation. So once you have your medical, it’s valid in all states.

This is NOT gun control. This is people control. The biggest problem that America has seen is not from law-abiding citizens, but those who don’t obey the laws due to some sort of psychological condition. The condition of these individuals who perform mass shootings are always in question, and then get overlooked by terms such as “automatic weapon”, “assault rifles”, and “clip size”, and how many guns the individual has stock piled somewhere. From what we can tell, no one is brave enough to tackle the glaring issue in our American system – the psyche of the killers. Watch the interviews of the shooter’s acquaintances and you often come across words like “oh he was a little off” (Link Here). Well, try getting three signatures from someone as well as a doctor’s sign off for a medical. Don’t have a medical? No gun for you.