Courtney Twing

Dr. Reid
English 102
28/3/2015
Free Choice 6
We Stop the Next Aurora Not with Gun Control but with Better Mental Health
Treatment by David R. Dow is about shedding new light on an old topic: gun control. He
makes it clear from the start that while both gun control advocates and the opposed have their
opinions, they gloss over what Dow believes is the true cause of the problem. Gun control
advocates wish to bolster the ways in which people get guns, but do not aid who he refers to
as broken people (pg. 323). The media, advocates of both sides, and the average civilian
all have their opinions, and they all get widespread attention, but the root of the issue is
mental health. Until people figure this out, they will simply be chopping off the head of
Hydra. When you chop off one head, two more will take its place. Dow argues that harsh
punishment does naught to prevent violent outbursts in those with a mental disease, and it
will not solve the issue even if the majority believes it will.
Chris Hedges, author of War is Betrayal writes about the byproducts of war (to
include seduction of young people to war, betrayal by those they trust, poor mental health,
and monetary draw). The vision he paints in the minds eye is striking, startling, and deeply
moving. Part of Hedges article had to do with a female soldiers experience scraping the
brain matter of suicide victims off of the walls in portable toilets. The article spent much
time accounting personal experiences of soldiers, and Hedges applies them to his personal
opinion of war. At certain aspects it seems as though he is attacking the military with
statements like Its about working for some rich guy who has his interests (page 367) , but
his overall goal is to attack the American peoples ideas about war. It is not glamorous, nor
does it lead the participants to glory. All it does is destroy them body and soul. Hedges
believes that the costs outweigh benefits such as family pride, travel, health care, and pay.
Unlike Dow, Hedges takes a side in the debate about his topic. Still, they have a
commonality which binds their opinions. Both Hedges and Dow stress how mental health
has a profound impact upon the performance of those afflicted, and that nobody seems to
want to help fix them. Both authors believe that the problem is swept under the carpet. In
Dows article it is achieved by bystanders ignoring the warning signs, and then blaming those
with mental illness for the inevitable negative repercussions. In Hedges opinion, the
problem becomes ignored after the tides of war have settled and the soldiers are sent back
home to a country filled with people who do not understand what they have gone through.
These people cast their eyes away after sneaking peeks at the soldiers missing limbs, or say
insensitive things. Obviously there are many causes of mental health issues, but Dow
believes that it doesnt mean that gun control will help. Both authors seems to agree that
mental health deserves to be treated.