As a chiropractor, I usually shy away from issues that seem purely political but I run toward justice when human behavior or greedy corporations and government is setting the stage for health disaster. You have heard me rail against what I believe is negatively impacting human health on our planet.
I’m particularly volatile when it comes to the drug industry and their prescriptions for disaster and the chemical industry. These two industries have us in such a quagmire that it is almost impossible to make corrections and to create responsible oversight. How could we possibly grow chemical-free crops now that we have ruined the soil in exchange for GMO crops? How can we take away the psychotropic drugs that so many parents, teachers, and workplaces rely on to keep the nuttiness damped down? Nuttiness that was created by overexposure to chemical byproducts and residues in the food, electromagnetic radiation in households and schools and handheld devices. We have taken so many technological steps forward, but often at our own peril, and when there are large profits to be made, much is often overlooked. We as a country are now faced with many of these dilemmas and the gun issue is the focus of today. 
Gun violence is now a health issue in America. The chances of being a victim of gun violence are now greater than contracting a deadly viral disease. These are indeed interesting times.
My opinion: it all comes down to personal responsibility. Gun owners are the responsible party in this tragedy. More oversight is necessary because gun owners have consistently shown that they will not take enough responsibility. I’ve heard all of the arguments. I used to be an NRA member and I was a sanctioned marksman. I was awarded the Navy Rifle Marksman Medal. I grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York where the hunting culture and gun culture was strong. I attended the Junior NRA at our local Fish and Game Club and took the NY hunter safety course. I also took the pistol safety course and I have a concealed weapon permit in NYS. I’ve been a hunter and sportsman most of my life. I think with these qualifications I am certainly allowed these comments. Times are different fifty years later and times are changing right before our eyes.
There is nothing wrong with more oversight regarding gun ownership and gun safety. When any problem becomes a risk to the average citizen’s health it is time for more oversight. I have often thought that we have too much oversight in certain areas of our lives and I’m not going to go into all of that in this blog. Suffice it to say, many of these young shooters are too young to manage the incredible responsibility of gun ownership. Many have taken their parents guns or been able to purchase guns that they have no business owning. If the parents or adults were held accountable for their weapon then you would suddenly see a drop in these types of shootings. Assault weapons and large magazine weapons should have greater restrictions. Concealed carry permits should have greater restrictions. Gun ownership should come with greater responsibility. Individuals that are prescribed psychotropic drugs have no business owning guns. Psychotropic medications come with a warning of, “Frank Psychotic Reactions.” That’s enough for me to want that person restricted from gun ownership. We used to say that if guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns, which is true, but outlawing guns is not what I’m calling for. Most of these American shooters were not criminals and some greater oversight would have prevented some of these tragedies.
I grew up and lived most of my life in a state that has tougher gun laws. We could not hunt until we were fourteen years of age and to do so required that you first pass a state-regulated hunter safety course. We could then only hunt small game such as partridge, pheasant, and rabbits. We could not hunt large game such as deer and bear until we were sixteen years of age. I grew up in a county where nobody could hunt large game with a rifle. Shotguns only. Pistol permits were also difficult to obtain and required a special course in pistol safety and a complete background check by local police or sheriff department. If you wanted a concealed carry permit you needed to be twenty-one years old and you needed to take your case before a magistrate judge for review of your record and ultimate permission. None of this oversight was hard to live with and when you grew up in New York State there were no surprises. As I said before, times were different fifty years ago and we did not have this new and tragic phenomenon of mass shootings. Now that we have, I think we should take a look at the differences in this human activity state by state. New York certainly has its share of gun violence but it is not mass shootings. It is the states where there is little oversight that you see most of the mass shooters. These states should take a hint and put in place some higher standards for gun ownership.
Please be safe. I understand that these are trying times and stressful. We are more rational when our stress is under control. If you are feeling anxiety over all of this loss and the safety of your family and friends be sure to consider chiropractic care. There is nothing in the human experience that is not controlled, coordinated and revealed but through the nervous system. If there is anything that has caused interference to normal nerve system function then we will not enjoy the level of health that we should. Interferences from body, mind or spirit result in spinal subluxation and that is where I can help. Thanks for allowing my opinion. I am sure that it will fly in the face of some but we are all living together and it is all of our responsibility to gain consensus and create the most relevant and effective oversight. And, I’m not just talking guns here. There are many things that need an overhaul.
Let us move forward in a spirit of fairness, a lust for life and health, wellness, prosperity, and responsibility.
- Dr. John E. Weisberg, Seaside Wellness Center