Gun control is a deeply rooted issue that still persists in most societies in the United States of America. The government has taken numerous measures, but the results have not been effective, as gun violence has become a serious issue in the country. Gun violence is widespread across the country, and every month, several news articles are published, and several authors argue about the issue. In October 2017, a mass shooting occurred in Las Vegas that killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds of people. President Donald Trump visited the injured people three days later.
Two Articles on Trump and Gun Control
An article, “Trump avoids gun control talk as he visits Las Vegas after shooting,” written by Arlette Saenz and Adam Kelsey, discussed the visit of President Trump in detail. One month later, another article was published, titled “Trump Says Issue Is Mental Health, Not Gun Control,” written by Peter Baker, which discussed President Trump’s views about gun control and gun violence. Both articles are based on President Trump’s reactions, thoughts, and expressions about gun control and gun violence in the country, and they depict his strong viewpoints about gun violence in the country.
Trump’s Visit After the Las Vegas Shooting
In the first article, “Trump avoids gun control talk as he visits Las Vegas after the shooting,” writers Saenz and Kelsey discuss President Trump’s reaction to the mass shooting in Las Vegas. He was more concerned about meeting with the patients rather than talking about the measures of gun control. He refused to talk about measures that should be taken to control gun violence in the country. Reporters asked different questions regarding gun control measures, but the President strictly refused to talk about it. Later on, the press secretary of the White House stated that the incident should not become a political debate, but lawmakers, officials, and administration people rejected this viewpoint. They suggested that serious actions are needed and that these measures are required to stop violence in the country. The incident is considered the deadliest mass shooting incident in the history of the United States of America.
Compassion Without a Policy Debate
The shooter was a 64-year-old man named Stephen Paddock, who fearlessly started shooting people at a music festival held at a casino in Las Vegas. The President not only met with the victims of the incident but also with the healthcare professionals and hospital officials who were responsible for taking care of the patients. He admired their efforts and officially made positive comments about them. The President also commented on the shooter, and in his opinion, Stephen Paddock was nothing but a sick man. He asked for the reports from the investigating teams to inquire about the real reason behind the incident. However, the reports were pending in this regard. Later on, the President talked about the incident and how words can be used to explain the evil that exists in our world and the cruel nature of humans, but that does not mean that we should adopt measures allowing evil to threaten us; rather, we should act against violence and terror. He admired and thanked the people who helped the wounded victims and provided urgent assistance to cure their injuries. At the end of his visit, he talked about the hope that people should never lose hope, as there are still many good people who exist in the world who are ready to risk their lives for other people. The visit and opinions of President Trump showed that he was more concerned about the healthcare needs of victims rather than explaining some measures that are needed to control gun violence (Saenz and Kelsey).
Mental Health as Trump’s Explanation
In the second article, “Trump Says Issue Is Mental Health, Not Gun Control,” Baker analyzed the viewpoints of President Trump about gun control and gun violence measures. From the viewpoint of President Trump, the people who are responsible for mass murder and shooting incidents are mentally ill. These people are not mentally stable and fearlessly start to kill innocent people, and their mental state allows them to pull the triggers of the guns. President Trump is a strong supporter of the US Constitution’s Second Amendment, which is based on the right to bear arms. In one event, President Trump said that the mental problems of the shooters are the real issue behind gun violence. In his opinion, mental health issues are severe in the country as compared to other countries. The people who support gun rights believe that mass shootings are always related to mental health. The laws in the country ban the purchase and sale of guns, but more measures are needed for an effective solution to the problem of violence.
Criticism of the Mental Health Framing
From the viewpoint of President Trump, more restrictions are needed, and he will work on more measures to stop or decrease the rate of gun violence. However, critics suggest and argue that if the problem is mental health issues, then people who have mental issues should never be allowed to have guns or any kind of weapons that lead them to become murderers. The administrations of hospitals and the criminal justice system should have a policy that enables them to create a database of people having mental issues so that these people can be further restricted from having any weapons. It is a true fact that a person who starts killing innocent people for no reason should be treated as a mentally ill patient, as there is no other strong reason to justify a huge massacre. Jeffrey Swanson, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor at Duke University, stated that President Trump is just trying to avoid the issue by linking it with mental health, and in this way, he is trying to avoid the problem of gun control. In his opinion, the government should focus on the history of gun control rather than linking this issue with mental disabilities (Baker).
Comparing the Articles’ Portrayals
Both articles are based on President Trump’s reactions, thoughts, and expressions about gun control and gun violence in the country, and they depict his strong viewpoints about gun violence in the country. His visit to the hospital to meet with the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting incident shows that he is more concerned with the health issues of the victims rather than explaining future measures that should be taken to reduce the level of mass murder and shooting. His viewpoint about gun violence is that it is a mental health issue, and future measures are needed to restrict access to guns by mentally ill people. The records of mentally ill people should be available and updated in the database system of the country. It will help the criminal justice system to find out which people could be dangerous to the country and could become shooters and create a huge massacre. Future measures are important and needed to control the issue, as it can lead to further disastrous situations.
Works Cited
Baker, Peter. “Trump Says Issue Is Mental Health, Not Gun Control.” The New York Times 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2018.
Saenz, Artette A, and Adam Kelsey. “Trump Avoids Gun Control Talk As He Visits Las Vegas After Shooting.” abcNEWS 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2018.
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