Each day there is another story in the news about another shooting that occurred in a different community. They happen in malls, movie theaters, churches, concert events, schools, on our streets and in homes. It has gotten to the point where no one can truthfully say that they are ever completely safe from it ever happening in their neighborhoods or kid's playgrounds. Soon, like me, we will all have a relative or friend who could have very easily been in the same spot at the same time that one of these horrific events take place and wake up wondering, "was he or she there when this happened?"
Today I find myself looking around when I am in crowds and thinking to myself, "I wonder if this is the type of place where someone might be looking to go down in a blaze of glory". In fact, I was at the State House last month to watch the proceedings of the special legislative session and I had to go through a metal detector. Metal detectors are nothing new, especially in an environment like that, but this time it had an ominous feel to it as I took off my belt and dropped it into a plastic bin.
When I went up into the public gallery, I will tell you one thing that did not occur to me and that was, "I wonder if any of these people have a hammer".
Mental health depends to some degree on one's ability to feel like their basic needs are being met. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs places safety and security as one of the foundational levels of psychological health. One's need for safety and security is being challenged everyday in places like Chicago's lower-income communities and similar urban environments all over the country. But today; however, it is becoming increasingly salient in suburban and rural America that no one is safe from this epidemic of gun violence.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/chicagos-gun-violence-crisis-also-mental-health-crisis/
