Again, I was back at the gym.

Instead of talking to a stranger, I was talking to an older woman.   I think her name was Janet (Janice?)  She’s short with white hair.   Great personality and a booming voice that’s fit for a retired kindergarten teacher…  which is what she is.   I think she told me she taught for some 35 years.

While on the arc trainer we were, typically, talking about the Florida shootings.  Well, mainly she was talking.   I was trying to watch Supernatural while nodding my head at the appropriate times.  While I really like Janet or Janice, like most teachers, she tends to become repetitive at some point.   It’s best to nod least she hits you with a pop quiz later.

At some point, during a break between vocalized paragraphs, I asked her what she thought she should do about the situation.   Should gun control be abolished or should mental health become more of a priority?

Rather firmly, she said gun control.    If the cookie jar wasn’t there, children wouldn’t get into it.  It was that simple to her.  Black and white.   Gray didn’t exist.

She turned the question back on me.
I actually gave it some thought, which is a rare thing – me thinking, but I did.  I’d have to say mental health should be a priority.

—  Most people would probably say that sure, mental health could be a better approach cause it could help people live more fulfilling lives, right?  More people would be happy and the rainbows in their Lucky Charms would be real.

No.  No. nonononono.    That’s not how I think.

Guns have been a proud and intricate part of America’s history since… forever.  Since the gun institution has been around for so long, it’s a million dollar plus industry.   It makes money.  It makes a lot of money.

Because of guns, the NRA is allowed to exist.   They receive a lot of donated money so they can exist.  Then, we can’t forget all of the smaller spin offs like National Association for Gun Rights and the National Rifle Association.     They make money.

Since guns are an issue, anti-gun organizations flourish.    I’m thinking of the Brady Campaign and Moms Demand Action.    These people make money.

And, on top of it all, rather pro or against, gun use is something people are passionate about.   Some devote their entire lives for or against.   There could be different reasons.  Some justified, like the Florida shooting, and some may not be justified.   The person just wants to feel like she or he is living for something so her or his life isn’t meaningless.

In short, for or against, everyone has some interest in keeping guns around, rather it be financially or just to feel like a hero.

Mental health, on the other hand, is something everyone deems important to some level.   It’s been traditionally stunted by society.   People who seek to gain better mental health may use mood alter drugs and/or see a psychologist.

Traditionally, the attempt to improve or stabilize mental health was seen as the person being crazy or one step short from a straight jacket.   There’s nothing wrong with Ben.  He’s just being lazy!   Suzie, smile more!  You’ll be fine.

—   That’s like shame blaming, right?  Victim blaming?  The victim is being shunned for being a victim.

In this current political climate, that is not good.    There’s fat shaming and college classes offered to white people on how they’re supposed to feel about being white.
(No… that’s not a joke.   Google “whiteness classes.”   That’s a thing.)  There’s all sorts of things like that.  It’s a new way of thinking and it’s gaining ground.  Within five years, this sort of thing will be considered normalized.

So, instead of blaming the gun user for using the gun, there’s going to be some sort of psychological retina scan needed before purchasing a gun.   This retina scan will do some sort of evaluation of the mental stability of the person, while running analytics on the person’s gender, financial situation, location, age, ect…  Big brother!  We have to target the advertising and provide info for the CIA.   It’s part of the American duty, even if we don’t know it.

Should the person pass the retina exam, a gun – may be – issued.

The retina’s results will be confidential.   No one will know what is passing and what is failing.  All of that will be highly hush-hush because people ‘trust’ the government system.

Then, of course, fifty years after this has been implemented, they’ll find out that there was something screwy with the retina scan and half of the people who got guns shouldn’t have.

—  You heard it here first.
This, or something similar, is what’s going to happen.

It’s all about the money and making people trust the government more and themselves less.