Tragic outcomes
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The murder of 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, is shocking even in Virginia, where homicide rates and shootings have skyrocketed, including six deaths in Petersburg during one day in April.
As the largest group of behavioral health providers in the commonwealth, social workers see the tragic outcomes of gun violence firsthand: trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, survivor’s guilt and other mental health conditions, in addition to the physical harm.
We also know the staggering mental toll such carnage inflicts on people who might have escaped a bullet’s direct hit but are deeply wounded in other ways: children who saw classmates die only feet away from them, families and friends devastated by grief, and bereaved communities who feel anguish for decades.
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A nation mourns together at the moment. But it also rages at the wasted human potential, and the inaction by officials in power to help stop this madness.
Virginia has made progress in the past two years to improve gun safety. Steps include implementing red-flag legislation, which temporarily reduces gun access for people experiencing mental crises; and restricting firearm access by certain domestic violence abusers for three years. However, despite the painful memories of our own mass school shooting — Virginia Tech — some state lawmakers have fought to repeal these laws.
Data show the prevention tactics that work best, and public support for them is high: universal background checks, red-flag laws, mandatory training and bans on firearms in venues such as schools. Indeed, Virginia localities now allow school boards to prohibit guns in buildings they own.
The Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers continues to urgently advocate for stronger gun safety to protect children and adults alike. Working together, our commonwealth can lower the risk of experiencing a tragedy like Uvalde.
Debra Riggs.
Glen Allen.
