Following the most recent mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, President Trump came out with a statement claiming that mental health is to blame. "Mental health is your problem here. This was a very, based on preliminary reports, a very deranged individual, a lot of problems over a long period of time. We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn't a guns situation," President Trump said of the First Baptist Church shooting during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I have no doubt that in cases such as these mental health plays a part, but in no way would I classify it as the main issue. Mental illness is not just an American issue, it reaches to every corner of the world. So, if mental illness were really the culprit behind mass shootings, you would expect to see that reflected in global data. The truth of the matter is that Americans own nearly half(48%) of the estimated 650 million civilian owned guns worldwide. The US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population but is responsible for 31% of the world’s mass shootings. Based on these statistics, I do not see how it is feasible to argue that American’s reluctance to regulate our gun policy isn’t directly correlated with the frequency in which we find ourselves in yet another gun related mass tragedy. I will link the articles I referenced below if you would like to read further.
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