Mental Health vs Gun Possession

by Sky Roberts

January 21, 2013

The collision of stances between whether or not gun control should be enforced by the government leaves America in a black and white battle. Since the several shootings within the past decade—Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, along with several others—citizens of the nation turn the blame towards guns, rather than the people who handle them. A possible solution by the government is to put more emphasis on background checks for those who purchase guns. The National Rifle Association is rather supportive of this solution. The association president David Keene also mentions that we need to think about not what to do about guns, but what to do to make our schools safer. President Obama takes another outlook on what the problem could be between all of these shootings. During a research at the White House, there was no connection found between these acts of violence and real-life violence, though there is an idea that the violence seen on media and video games could contribute to gun violence. First person shooter games are very similar to the acts that these gunmen have played out.

Officer comforting a student affected by the shooting at Virginia Tech.
Photo by Richmond Times-Dispatch

Newton, Connecticut family members at the memorial of their children.
Photo by Craig Ruttle

I believe that these shootings have a link to the gun user’s mental health. Ryan Lanza, the shooter of Sandy Hook Elementary, had a history of a mental illness. I believe that those who want to carry guns for things like hunting or their own safety, those consumers should have that right. The government should take more of an awareness towards mental health.

It'll Get Worse Before It Gets Better

By Sky Roberts

 

As a first year on the nationals mat, my teammates had warned me about the pain, fights, and frustration we would go through before we would feel accomplished and ready to head to Orlando, Florida for nationals. Though our team, the most talent Avila has ever had, was experiencing a more enthusiastic three weeks of nationals practice. Every girl was on cloud nine, until one practice where everything fell apart. Nothing was hitting, no one was excited, the team we had the last three weeks had disappeared. Disappointment on our coach’s faces told us that we needed to get it together. One of my strongest, admirable teammates walked off of the mat and broke down. This is when I knew what my teammates had been talking about. At the same time, the most inspiring moment of my life had been coming together. The team circled around one another as most heads bowed and others had blank stares. I had never seen my team so defeated. My quiet teammate beside me, lacing her fingers in between mine, spoke through choked words and tears. She told us that we were better than this, and that we weren’t just a team, we are a family. She said she had never wanted anything as badly as to win this national championship not just for herself, but for every girl competing with her. As she continued, I examined the tears falling down every single teammates face. Her voice rose as she continued, telling us that we needed to do it for each other, for the seniors, for the girl right next to you on the mat; no matter who it was. To see some of the strongest girls I know break into tears let me know that we were a team, and we were going to finish this struggle together. When my teammate finished speaking, my hand nearly losing feeling from her grip, all everyone could do was nod. Our coach called for us to run the routine again—it was the best routine we had ever done. This is when I knew that this was a team—and not only a team—a team that loved one another more than they loved themselves. This is when I knew that the national championship title would be ours.