An open letter to the NRA: You’ve won, will you consider a retreat?

Dear NRA:

You have prevailed in the fight over gun control. I often see your bumper stickers, some warning that if I were to threaten the driver’s gun ownership, they would shoot me. You have a clear presence.

After the massacre in Florida on Feb. 14, I found myself feeling defeated and reflective, and I realized that you have won. Congratulations. Guns flow freely throughout our communities. Acquiring them is easy. We can all bear arms without interference. You are powerful. You are in control.

In light of your victory, I wonder if you might consider a retreat. You have nothing to fear or lose. Your representatives in Washington are loyal. Our president is with you. Could you please stand down, so that we can catch our breath, recover from another killing and try again to stop mass shootings? You mention the mental health issue.

As a mental health professional, I experience our failure to recognize, embrace or treat mental illness. And yes, people who are psychiatrically disturbed might make the wrong decision with guns. I too wish that we handled this better.

Here is the problem: If every mental health professional practiced as skillfully as possible, and if we prepared more talented practitioners, and if our society engaged mentally ill people promptly and compassionately, effectively treating their trauma, addiction, fear, paranoia, delusions, rage, rejection, alienation, etc, we would still not be able to identify every potential shooter. It would be impossible. Oncologists lose cancer patients, cardiologists lose heart attack victims, and we lose patients too. Moreover, many sick people, unnoticed, never seek help. Sociopaths blend into the woodwork.

The vast majority of people with mental illness would never remotely consider gun violence. But some people are severely ill, plotting a tragedy and sending no message about wanting to do so. Others are not planning violence, but are incapable of curbing the impulse to engage in it, with no recognizable way for any of us to intervene, or ability to stop it. Meanwhile, no barrier exists between their dangerous mind, and weapons which they may use to express it. Thus, in order to avert a tragedy that they (or any other person) may create, we must limit the privilege of access. There are those among us who simply cannot manage that privilege. Despite our wishes, we cannot always predict who they are.

Obviously, this is where you become involved. Please consider joining the conversation about that privilege. There is no threat to you in this. You will be fine. Some of our legislators seem intimidated by you, so let’s keep this between us. We could stop fighting, and there could be less killing. Imagine that.

While you look into this, we will continue working to heal people who have been hurt by, or those with a potential for, gun violence. But I think fewer guns around would make a difference, so you could help. Let me know.

Where I STAND