PA Bill Number: HB2311
Title: Establishing the School Mental Health Screening Grant and Development Program.
Description: Establishing the School Mental Health Screening Grant and Development Program. ...
Last Action: Laid on the table
Last Action Date: Sep 23, 2024
Town Hall: Experts discuss guns in America :: 01/20/2016
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Sinclair Broadcast Group hosted a Town Hall discussion amongst lawmakers and experts about their thoughts on guns in America.
Rep. Tim Murphy (R- Pennsylvania), who worked for three decades as a psychologist, said he liked the idea of investing in mental health as part of a plan to stop gun violence.
"We really need to have some fundamental changes in policy in the U.S. in how we deal with mental illness," he said.
"That is part of the problem - paying attention to what's in people's heads, not just paying attention to what's in their hands is the crux of a big issue here."
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia said he felt there are, "way too many gun deaths in our nation today."
He mentioned the Virginia Tech shooting, and the massacre of two journalists on live TV last fall.
"What I've tried to call for, is commonsense gun restrictions," he said.
McAuliffe said he supports background checks as part of the process to get a gun, calling on Congress to show leadership and do the same.
"There are certain individuals who should not be able to purchase a firearm."
In a roundtable discussion, experts across the board discussed their opinions on the hotly debated issue.
"This is about saving lives," said Sara Kerai, with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
"Background checks and firearms sales save lives."
David Keene, a Washington Times opinion editor disagreed with the Virginia governor's idea of "commonsense," regarding the requirement of background checks to obtain a gun.
"The problem with the system is it doesn't work. There are a lot of people in it who shouldn't be in it. And there are people who should be in it who aren't in it."
"Number one, not everyone has to go through the system," said Ladd Everitt, communications director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He noted private gun sales that don't require background checks.
Dr. Liza Gold, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, explained her opinion on whether mental illness is connected to gun violence.
"The fact of the matter is that mental illness is by itself is only very weakly associated with any kind of risk of violence, and in particular, gun violence."
The much higher risk, according to Dr. Gold, "is suicide."
Hans Von Spakovsky with the Heritage Foundation mentioned that the FBI data points to violent crime rates dropping in the past three decades.
"This is at the same time that gun ownership has gone up."
"The problem isn't lack of laws," said Spakovsky.
"The majority of violent crimes in this country are committed with guns that have been stolen. It's not people legally getting guns."
"There's nothing commonsense about most of the gun laws that we see around the country," argued Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler of Harford County, Maryland.
"Commonsense is when you have someone coming at something you love or you want to defend - you should be entitled to protect it," he said, pointing to the Second Amendment.
http://komonews.com/news/nation-world/a-your-voice-your-future-town-hall-on-guns-in-america
