GUN VIOLENCE NOT A PRODUCT OF MENTAL ILLNESS (OUTLINE)

On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting conducted by a nineteen year old, Nikolas Cruz, occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were murdered and seventeen others were wounded. In the wake of this tragedy, more United States citizens are speaking out than ever before about the devastating concern of gun violence in our country. National marches have been organized to rally for stricter gun control laws, victims of the incident are speaking out in the media, and another change seems to have emerged- mental illness has been tagged as a cause of this epidemic of gun violence.  Quickly following the massacre, Donald Trump gave a national speech including his claim that our nation must “tackle the difficult issue of mental health.” While it’s easy for devoted protectors of 2nd Amendment rights to blame the problem on an aspect of society that cannot be seen with an ordinary lens, mental health is simply not the reason for gun violence. Rather, to resolve the complex of gun violence attacking our nation, our first steps must be to improve the federal background check system, separate party affiliation from national urgency, and develop policies that focus strictly on gun control.

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