US Gun Violence Spotlights Emotional Health Issue
Jessica Kenny worked as a concierge in the Excalibur hotel-casino. She was at her normal station at the concierge desk as a vendor for Las Vegas.com. In walks 31 year old Edward Brandt who shoots Jessica, critically wounding her and then turning the gun on himself. Jessica is rushed to the hospital where she later dies. Kenny and Brandt had briefly dated but severed ties in 2009. This type of murder suicide plays itself out everyday in America. A deranged gunman walks into his or her workplace, a shopping mall or another public place and opens fire, killing strangers, acquaintances or an estranged spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Earlier this year in Cleveland Katherina Allen 42, who had informed her husband Kevin she was leaving him and taking the children two days earlier, was dining in a Cracker Barrel restaurant with the couples two pre-teen daughters. Kevin, thrice divorced with a long history violence stormed into the restaurant and according to witnesses "selectively" fired on his family. His wife and daughter Kerri were killed at the scene.. The gunman Kevin was killed by police in the parking lot after refusing to surrender. Kerri's sister Kayla would later die from her wounds. Although Allen's past was filled with incidents of violence and threats of violence, he would not be considered 'mentally ill' as defined by most professionals. However we all could agree that Allen was emotionally ill which is a far more pervasive problem. It is quite easy to identify the person who claims he or she hears voices or has shouting matches with a mannequin at the local shopping mall. The Newtown Connecticut shooter would certainly qualify as mentally ill-as one who would massacre children certainly is to say the least.
The emotionally ill are those who go unnoticed by the most of us until some traumatic event triggers their homicidal rage. They lose a job, their wife, boyfriend or girlfriend leaves, they're cut off on the highway or the electric company threatens to turn off their utilities. Most of the mass shootings in our country result from one or more of the former. They are often committed by people who otherwise did not arouse any type of suspicion prior to their violent and/or deadly actions. Can we protect ourselves against this type of madness? Mass shootings in American are becoming more frequent and deadly. The only solution is an unfortunate one: Grab a gun.
Earlier this year in Cleveland Katherina Allen 42, who had informed her husband Kevin she was leaving him and taking the children two days earlier, was dining in a Cracker Barrel restaurant with the couples two pre-teen daughters. Kevin, thrice divorced with a long history violence stormed into the restaurant and according to witnesses "selectively" fired on his family. His wife and daughter Kerri were killed at the scene.. The gunman Kevin was killed by police in the parking lot after refusing to surrender. Kerri's sister Kayla would later die from her wounds. Although Allen's past was filled with incidents of violence and threats of violence, he would not be considered 'mentally ill' as defined by most professionals. However we all could agree that Allen was emotionally ill which is a far more pervasive problem. It is quite easy to identify the person who claims he or she hears voices or has shouting matches with a mannequin at the local shopping mall. The Newtown Connecticut shooter would certainly qualify as mentally ill-as one who would massacre children certainly is to say the least.
The emotionally ill are those who go unnoticed by the most of us until some traumatic event triggers their homicidal rage. They lose a job, their wife, boyfriend or girlfriend leaves, they're cut off on the highway or the electric company threatens to turn off their utilities. Most of the mass shootings in our country result from one or more of the former. They are often committed by people who otherwise did not arouse any type of suspicion prior to their violent and/or deadly actions. Can we protect ourselves against this type of madness? Mass shootings in American are becoming more frequent and deadly. The only solution is an unfortunate one: Grab a gun.
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