Advocates: Shootings Not Just About Mental Health

By: Veronica Carter, Public News Service – IL

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – As the nation continues to react to the latest school massacre in Florida, anti-violence advocates have escalated their calls for tougher gun legislation.

Lee Goodman, an organizer with Peaceful Communities, says getting all the high-powered guns off the street isn’t likely to happen, but he thinks controlling the availability of ammunition will prevent more shootings.

“The problem is we have a for-profit industry that makes money off of every bullet that is used to shoot a police officer or shoot churchgoers or shoot people who are attending a concert,” Goodman says. “There’s an industry that’s making money off of this mayhem.”

The renewed debate about gun laws has sparked legislation across the country. In Illinois, a current bill would allow family members to have a relative’s guns and concealed-carry card taken away if they believe there’s a possibility of danger. After the Las Vegas massacre in October, Illinois lawmakers rejected a bill that would have banned bump stocks and other trigger-enhancement devices that allow guns, rifles and other weapons to be fired more rapidly.

The White House indicated on Monday that President Donald Trump is open to supporting a bipartisan congressional effort to revise federal background checks for prospective gun buyers.

Goodman says that may not be enough, and adds people are fed up and many of those who were silent when it came to the gun-control issue are starting to speak up. He has seen that first-hand while visiting Las Vegas.

“That city has been changed, and if you look at a map, these shootings are actually spread all across America,” he adds. “The more these things that happen, the more the American populace wants something done about it.”

Goodman says it’s frustrating that the Trump administration points to mental illness in response to the shooting. He’s echoing sentiments from mental-health professionals who say they welcome more resources and attention but adds that the administration is ignoring the real problem – easy access to guns, particularly the assault weapons used in many of the most recent mass shootings.

According to federal statistics, about 38,000 Americans were killed with guns in 2016.