The Gun Disease
I feel guilty about the killings in Colorado. As a doctor, those horrid events are a personal failure. I have spent a career fighting illness, often investing hundreds of hours in a single cancer case, yet in minutes, a dozen people vanish and 58 are grievously wounded. Another 32,000 will die this year from gunshots, over 76,000 will be crippled and I cannot keep up with this slaughter. Why is this my fault? Because, I am a physician and guns are a disease.
The great plagues of history killed hundreds of millions: Polio, Small Pox, Rabies, Yellow Fever, Influenza, Measles, Dengue and now AIDS. These diseases are all caused by viral infections. What is a virus? It is a perfect submicroscopic machine with only one purpose. It does not create beauty like a flower, nourishment like a fruit tree, nor knowledge like man. Its sole purpose is to create more viruses and at this it is the ideal mechanism.
A virus recreates itself by infecting the cells of the host on which it preys. It destroys those cells, turning them into virus factories until overwhelmed by billions of virus particles the host, often a human, becomes ill. As virus numbers explode the host gradually dies, the whole body becoming a massive sick infected virus-shedding machine and as a last act the virus spreads to the next person. Then the cycle begins again, making new viruses. That is all viruses do, reproduce themselves.
Where once we required guns to protect ourselves from wild animals and to provide food, in a modern society this is a rare need. Except for marksmen who enjoy target shooting or hunting, guns have limited use for recreation. Therefore, in a modern society, what is the purpose of guns?
Guns have multiplied through our great Nation like a highly virulent virus. They infect one person at a time. Other people become threatened believing their neighbor or that “other” person might be armed. They go out and get guns, more guns. Eventually, like the virus, a gun kills someone. Then, just as a cell bursts and spreads virus through a person’s body, the fear from a gun death results in dozens more grabbing a firearm. “Gun permits skyrocket in Colorado.” More people buy guns and more people are shot. What is the purpose of a gun in the United States? The purpose of a gun is to create guns.
Our society is sick with spreading Gun Disease. It is does not matter whether a gun is legal or illegal, it adds to the carnage and fear and results in more guns. To defend the disease because it is legal or Constitutional is irrelevant. Breast and pancreatic cancer are legal and Constitutional, but I have never heard it said that we should stop doing cancer research because everyone has the right to get sick. A civilized nation does not encourage disease.
There is no immunity from the either guns or bullets and under the pressure of enough fear of gun violence, anyone will pick up a firearm and anyone can be shot. Guns are contagious and epidemic. Whether it is a four year old on a play ground in a drive by, a cop on the beat, the owner of a pharmacy, a cheerleader walking with a friend or 12 people who make the fatal decision of watching a movie, this kind of sickness is primitive and unsupportable. Like a host with a virus infection, we will become so burdened by the mass of arms that America, as we know it, will collapse.
In the Middle Ages, plagues were blamed on Witches and Warlocks. In order to fight infection, men and women were burned at the stake. Epidemics spread until entire societies were wiped out. Our need to find blame for gun violence whether it is demented criminals, computer games, poverty or drugs is equally ignorant. In order to prevent contagious infections, whether it is from virus or guns, you must get rid of the infecting agent.
Guns create guns. Feeding off their human hosts, they are a fatal infestation of our Nation. Perfect, uncaring, relentless, soulless metal machines, they proliferate and we die. The history of medicine makes the future clear. How we act now will decide whether our society survives.
As published in Sunrise Rounds.
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Joe R
8:31 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
I would agree that this country has a sick obsession with guns and that for some gun owners, guns have almost become a religious icon, they have an almost worshipful attitude towards guns. How many more horrific
bloodbaths have to occur before we do something about our lax gun laws? We are awash in guns, there are an estimated 300 million guns floating around. You would think that the assault weapon ban could be reinstated with ease but you would be wrong. Some of the survivors of the Aurora, CO, massacre have grievous injuries, they will be maimed for life and many will be driven to bankruptcy and poverty because a madman could possess semi-automatic guns with extended magazines and an assault style gun with a drum of 100 bullets. The same country that tolerates this insanity also does not have universal health care.
BobDee
10:41 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
We only need to ask one simple question : What psychiatric drug was he taking or withdrawing from? Sometimes simple questions are the hardest to ask.
Those questions would be real real hard for the media to ask, because after reporting the event, taking station breaks for advertisements for antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs might give big media editors and producers indigestion , since they kind of depend on Big Pharma sponsorship.
Ask the question Dr. Reporter: What psychiatric drugs was he taking when he did the shooting ?
•Eric Harris, the triggerman in the Columbine school shootings, killed his fellow students and took his own life while taking Luvox.
•Thirteen year-old Chris Fetters killed his favorite aunt while taking Prozac.
•Twelve year-old Christopher Pittman murdered both his grandparents while taking Zoloft.
•Thirteen year-old Mathew Miller hung himself in his bedroom closet after taking Zoloft for 6 days.
•Fifteen year-old Jarred Viktor stabbed his grandmother 61 times after 5 days on Paxil.
BobDee
10:42 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Fifteen year old Kip Kinkel (Prozac and RITALIN) shot his parents while they slept then went to school and opened fire killing 2 classmates and injuring 22 shortly after beginning Prozac treatment.
Luke Woodham aged 16 (Prozac) killed his mother and then killed two students, wounding six others.
Boy in Pocatello, ID (Zoloft) in 1998 who in seizure activity from Zoloft had a stand off at the school.
Michael Carneal (Ritalin) a 14-year-old opened fire on students at a high school prayer meeting in West Paducah, Kentucky. Three teenagers were killed, five others were wounded, one of whom was paralyzed.
Young man in Huntsville, Alabama (Ritalin) went psychotic chopping up his parents with an ax and also killing one sibling and almost murdering another.
Andrew Golden, aged 11,(Ritalin) and Mitchell Johnson, aged 14,(Ritalin) shot 15 people killing four students, one teacher, and wounding 10 others.
TJ Solomon, aged 15,(Ritalin) high school student in Conyers, Georgia opened fire on and wounded six of his class mates.
Rod Mathews, aged 14,(Ritalin) beat a classmate to death with a bat.
James Wilson, aged 19,(Psychiatric Drugs - various) Breenwood, South Carolina, took a .22 caliber revolver into an elementary school killing two young girls, and wounding seven other children and two teachers.
Elizabeth Bush aged 13 (Paxil) was responsible for a school shooting in Pennsylvania
BobDee
10:42 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Jason Hoffman (Effexor and Celexa)- school shooting in El Cajon, California
Another boy in Pocatello, ID (Zoloft) had a stand off at the school.
Jarred Viktor aged 15 (Paxil), after five days on Paxil he stabbed his grandmother 61 times.
Chris Shanahan aged 15 (Paxil) in Rigby, ID who out of the blue killed a woman.
Eric Harris aged 17 (Zoloft then Luvox) and Dylan Klebold aged 18 in Colombine school shooting in Littleton, Colorado, killed 12 students and 1 teacher, and injured 23 others, before killing themselves.
Jeff Franklin (Prozac and Ritalin), Huntsville, AL, killed his parents as they came home from work using a sledge hammer, hatchet, butcher knife and mechanic's file, then attacked his younger brothers and sister
Neal Furrow,(Prozac) in LA Jewish school shooting reported to have been court-ordered to be on Prozac along with several other medications.
BobDee
10:42 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
This website is a collection of 4,800+ news stories with the full media article available, mainly criminal in nature, that have appeared in the media (newspapers, TV, scientific journals) or that were part of FDA testimony in either 1991, 2004 or 2006, in which psych drugs are mentioned.
http://ssristories.com/
LEMM
12:02 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
Amen BobDee!!! Also, for this doctor to basically marginalize the Constitution is absurd, the reason we have the 2nd Amendment is so that we can protect ourselves from a tyrannical government number one and if Colorado had open carry laws in place I can almost guarantee that the death count would have been much lower. On top of that James Holmes would have most likely been shot and killed, thus saving taxpayers a ton of money putting him through the court system when we know he is guilty! I also have read that in the countries where legal gun ownership and open carry are practically mandated, gun crimes are much, much lower. Dr. Salwitz please tell me how is it that the criminals follow gun control laws? One other note is I am sure more people have died from the poisons in our food supply(thanks to companies like Monsanto) and Big Pharma drugs than gun related deaths!
SHSB
2:43 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
And perhaps these individuals were on these medications because they had psychiatric disorders, the psychiatric disorders which caused their reprehensible behavior. Unless they obtained their medications from the black merket, all of these individuals had a diagnosed psychiatric disorder for which the medicatin was prescribed. Millions of people as take these medications properly, as prescribed by their physicians, and their lives are drastically improved. A small minority of those patients commit murder and we blame the medication instead of the disorder? The medications did not make these people into murderers--their uncontrolled psychiatric disorders did.
By your postings, every person who is on these meds is a walking time bomb, and that is just not true.
So Much to Say
4:15 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
Maybe if someone in those households used due diligence in securing the firearms used in these examples MAYBE a few could've been saved.
Chester Copperpot
1:01 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
I used to be a big advocate of really strong gun laws. Not so much any more. If we make all the laws in the world to get rid of this "virus", who are the only people who have guns? Cops and the bad guys. I don't think the bad guys are going to give up their guns no matter what. There is always going to be a black market and the wrong people who want "power" will always find a way to get their guns. If responsible, licensed people, want to purchase and keep a gun safely in their house for their own protection, it doesn't bother me. I also used to be really against the right to carry a concealed weapon figuring that people would then revert back to the old West days. I'm finding it harder and harder to argue against that when the laws only keep guns from the law abiding citizens and the criminals just have them anyway....and the criminals don't exactly abide by a code of ethics. So yeah....I agree that guns in the hands of citizens isn't good. But, unless you can convince all of the bad people to get rid of their guns and assure people that there is no longer any threat of a firearm to be used against citizens, I'm fine with people having their own personal firearm provided they have been screened very thoroughly and are safe with it. I know the screening can never be perfect, and not everybody is safe with a gun, but I also know criminals will think twice if they have to guess who else is (legally) carrying.
Chester Copperpot
1:54 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
BTW....I love the picture.
Joe R
1:57 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
After the Civil War, where the heck were all the big bad brave armed Rambos when blacks were being victimized, lynched and and denied their rights by the tyrannical southern states. Oh yeah, all those loud mouthed gun toting yahoos were the very people victimizing the blacks. This argument that you have to arm yourself to the teeth because of some tyrannical government is bogus garbage. That was not the intent of the 2nd amendment. The 2nd amendment is not an absolute right, many weapons are banned. No ordinary person needs 6000 rounds of ammo, extended ammo clips, 100 round bullet drums, a huge arsenal of semi-automatic guns, assault rifles, .50 caliber sniper rifles and God knows what else. That theater in Aurora, CO, was dark, full of smoke, full of panic stricken people, and at that point, no one knew if there were more than one bad guy besides the shooter. If other people had guns, they would have ended up shooting innocent people and the police would have not known who was the criminal and who was the honest citizen. One armed citizen nearly shot the wrong person at the Tucson, Arizona, mass shooting (slaughter, blood bath). Somebody was armed but fortunately he was stopped before he almost shot the wrong person.
Joe R
2:05 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
We were very lucky this time or it could have been another massacre.
(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - Maryland police arrested Neil Prescott, who allegedly called his workplace and referred himself as "a joker" while threatening to stage a shooting.
[snip]
Investigators said a search of Prescott's home turned up more than 20 guns, including assault rifles and handguns, and more than 400 rounds of ammunition. The investigation is still unfolding.
So Much to Say
4:12 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
I have an obsession with staying alive. Had ONE person in that theatre been carrying maybe a few could've been saved. I'm a responsible gun owner and I have no problem using my firearm to protect my family and home.
Lisa Shields
12:04 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
And had several people been packing, you would have had the gunfight at the OK Coral. I have shot guns. I respect them. But I am also aware of families who have lost children in gun related accidents. We make a person register a car to drive it, but once a gun is purchased, it vanishes off the radar. If The buyer is normal when he or she purchases it, then five years later goes off their nut, they STILL have a weapon.
I wonder how many cases annually occur when a gun is used for protection, versus when it is used illegally as a weapon? We need to stop acting as if any attempt to lessen gun violence is burning the constitution....but that won't happen.
So Much to Say
4:25 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
Maybe doctors should share the blame since it was THEM who prescribed meds that were probably unnecessary. That's the big thing for the last bunch of years....kids unruly....dope him up.
Joe R
8:46 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
That movie theater in Aurora, CO, was dark, full of smoke (or tear gas from some reports), was in total chaos and panic. Any prospective "hero" Rambo would risk killing innocents and just add to the confusion in such a dire situation. Monday morning quarterbacking is just so easy from the comfort of your own home in NJ. The notion that if more people were armed in that movie theater, they could have taken out this maniac is just stupid. Who knows, maybe someone had a gun but realized that he had no clear shot and so restrained himself from making a horrible situation even worse. Because this nation is so addicted to guns and because of the propaganda of the NRA, we will have another horrible massacre (I hope I am wrong). I cannot believe that so many of my fellow Americans are not on board for at least the assault weapons ban. My God, I am so disgusted, appalled and angry with these blood baths and the reaction of the gun lovers.
raymond Weis
9:27 pm on Friday, July 27, 2012
Just a few random thoughts. Russia in the twenties to present had strong gun laws, millions dead. Germany in the thirties had strict gun laws, again millions dead. China ditto. Switzerland requires every adult male to have a military rifle and trains them to use them. I've never heard of a massacre in Switzerland. All I can think is that if society ever suffers a severe break down we should all be prepared to defend what is ours. If the government required everyone to turn in their guns tomorrow I believe the only people who would do it are the ones who would never hurt you to begin with.
Joe R
3:19 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012
Who the heck is talking about banning all guns? The assault weapons ban does not ban all guns. NOT EVEN CLOSE! This banning all guns myth is a stupid red herring brought up by the nefarious NRA. Do we lack for guns in this country? Geezus, there are an estimated 300 million guns sloshing around the US. John Wilkes Booth thought that Lincoln was a tyrant. He was another armed and dangerous nut case. We have these crazy right wing militias armed to the teeth in this country who pretty much think that any federal government is tyrannical. If society suffers a severe break down, you will have one neighbor shooting another neighbor for a loaf of bread. We are a sick society obsessed with guns and with lax laws (in other states) which allow maniacs to buy powerful semi-automatic guns and thousands of rounds of ammo.
Joe R
3:39 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012
To compare the US to Nazi Germany or Stalin's USSR is ridiculous. Switzerland is a special case. It is neutral and has not been involved in any wars in recent history. From wikipedia: Switzerland does not have a standing army, it has a peoples Militia to defend their country. The vast majority of men between the ages of 20 and 30 are conscripted into the militia and undergo military training, including weapons training. In October 2007, the Swiss Federal Council decided that the distribution of ammunition to soldiers shall stop and that all previously issued ammo shall be returned. By March 2011, more than 99% of the ammo has been received. Only special rapid deployment units and the military police still have ammunition stored at home today.