Mental Health and Gun Violence in America: A Critical Analysis

This essay critically analyzes the complex relationship between mental health and gun violence in the United States. It highlights the easy availability of guns and its implications, particularly in relation to mass shootings and suicides. The essay explores the debate surrounding gun control, including background checks and the Second Amendment, and examines the impact of gun violence on the mental health of the American population. It references examples like the Port Arthur massacre in Australia to support arguments for stringent gun control policies and the need to restrict access to military-grade weapons. The essay concludes by advocating for policy changes such as comprehensive background checks and a ban on assault weapons to mitigate gun violence and improve societal mental health.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA 1
Abstract
A majority of the population is seriously reprimanding the easy availability of guns
for the mentally unstable in United States of America (USA). The gun policies of America
have been under serious criticism due to a number of violent attacks in the schools and other
public places in the states. The issue being questioned is the easy and unsupervised sales and
owner ship of guns and other assault weapons, which harm the people. The unsupervised law
in USA causes a number of mass killings as suicides raising the need for gun control in the
society. The guns should not be available to anyone in the society just because they can
afford it. The number of per capita gun ownership is highest in the USA, even more than the
war torn African states and the unstable states like Guatemala and Colombia.
Objective
The gun use and the mental health have been closely associated according to a
number of studies in the USA. The high rate of suicides in the country has been associated to
the gun control laws in the USA. However, majorities of the people ask for the free gun
policy in the state but agree to the fact that there should be background checks on the people
buying the guns. The background checks will help as they will help in stopping the sale of
guns to people with a history of mental illness. The growing number population in the USA
thinks that mentally disabled people or the people with a history of mental illness are a threat
to the society. The number of gun violence activities and the stigma associated with mental
illness is making the American society apprehensive of the mentally ill.
Methods
An in depth analysis of the easy availability of the guns to the public has also caused
the people to take extreme measures because of minor situations. The issues faced by the

MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA 2
society in such cases are a major threat. The Newtown Connecticut mass killings brought the
situations arising out of lack of gun control policies out in the public. The number of mass
killings in the USA greatly outnumbers that of other parts of the world. The amount of the
people with mental illness should not give access to any hazardous material, which may
cause public harm. The mental health of the society is also affected by the easy availability of
the guns as people face a constant threat of homicide or other such incidents in the country.
A study of the mental health of the people in the country affected by the sense of
insecurity because of the lack of the gun laws of the country the racially biased crimes are
also on the rise because of the lack of gun control in the country. One of the major examples
to be cited in this case is that of Australia. After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre the Australian
Parliament enforced strict laws for the citizens which led to considerable fall in the homicide
rate and no mass massacre ever since. The Second Amendment protects the rights of the
citizen of the country but that law has not been amended since it was first made. The change
in the society and development in the ideology through time has to be taken into
consideration to purview what kind of weapons should be freely accessible. The people
should not have access to high-grade military weapons like assault rifles, which gives them a
sense of power and control. This mixed with the pressures of the society that is posed today
cause the people to retaliate in various ways, most of which are harmful for the society.
Results
The gun control laws of the USA very adversely affect the people in the society, as
there is constant threat of the use of weapons. The majority of the community advocates strict
gun control laws along with the complete prohibition in the sale of military grade weapons in
the society. The background checks of the people who want to buy guns are supported by

MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA 3
almost 91% of the society. The mental health of the society is very much affected by the gun
control policy and the number of arms related crimes is high in such places.
Conclusion
Hence, USA needs to device stringent gun control policy with the background check
on the people intending to buy the guns to check if the buyer suffers from issues like
depression and anger management. The Second Amendment has to be amended to give room
for the complete ban of the sale of military grade weapons.

MENTAL HEALTH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA 4
Bibliography
Brent, D. A., Miller, M. J., Loeber, R., Mulvey, E. P., & Birmaher, B. (2013). Ending the
silence on gun violence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, 52(4), 333.
Elson, M., & Ferguson, C. J. (2013). Gun violence and media effects: challenges for science
and public policy.
Hemenway, D. (2014). Guns, suicide, and homicide: individual-level versus population-level
studies. Annals of internal medicine, 160(2), 134-135.
Jorm, A. F., & Reavley, N. J. (2014). Public belief that mentally ill people are violent: Is the
USA exporting stigma to the rest of the world?. Australian & New Zealand Journal of
Psychiatry, 48(3), 213-215.
McGinty, E. E., Webster, D. W., & Barry, C. L. (2014). Gun policy and serious mental
illness: priorities for future research and policy. Psychiatric services, 65(1), 50-58.
Spitzer, R. J. (2015). Politics of gun control. Routledge.
Swanson, J. W., McGinty, E. E., Fazel, S., & Mays, V. M. (2015). Mental illness and
reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to
policy. Annals of epidemiology, 25(5), 366-376.
Weinberger, S. E., Hoyt, D. B., Lawrence, H. C., Levin, S., Henley, D. E., Alden, E. R., ... &
Hubbard, W. C. (2015). Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A
Call to Action From 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar
AssociationFirearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States. Annals of internal
medicine, 162(7), 513-516.