Gun Violence Sociology

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Something immensely engaging that Dr. Miller talked about was his research into gun violence and the entire concept of gun violence being a public health issue. On the surface, it seems the complete opposite - it seems more a political issue than one of pertinence to the health-care field. However, my perspective on this issue has drastically changed - I can now see that there are so many aspects of the gun violence issue that are comprehensively and directly correlated to health and health issues. Gun violence is a particularly pertinent aspect of the community, particularly in the United States where all citizens have the “right to bear arms”. Coming from a country in which guns are no where near as easy to access, this idea is particularly …show more content…
However, for more than 33,000 victims of gun violence in the United States, the consequences of gun ownership are alarmingly real. Moreover, the mental health of those who inflict harm on others needs to also be examined.

From my perspective, we are currently at a tipping point - changes need to be made in order to reduce both gun violence, and all the health consequences related to such an issue. The aspect of this issue that I find most surprising is the entitlement that many people have towards the ownership of guns, which is understandable. However, the plethora of incidents of gun violence should usually instigate quick changes in policy around the accessibility of firearms. Such was the case in New Zealand, with one isolated incident instigating rapid change in firearms laws with the sales and ownership being severely restricted. Without a valid and current
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Miller - he brought up some very intriguing concepts of drug administration in the United States that I had not thought about previously. He stated that “…in America, Prozac is widely administered and easier to access compared to other countries like the United Kingdom, physicians will often resort very quickly to giving it out to their patients”. This concept was very foreign, because this is a huge contrast to the healthcare system in New Zealand. From my knowledge, I believe that the administration of Prozac and other anti-depressants for that matter are often the last resort in a patient’s care plan. Therapy and other psychological-based treatment is sought out before considerations of the possibility of drugs as a part of treatment. The disparity of drug administration between developed countries like the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom was surprising, but not shocking. Going forward, looking toward my career trajectory, I think that drug administration is a very important aspect that must be considered and along with that, should be compared and evaluated in a more international sense - conversation needs to be initiated between countries to continue to grow and improve the ways in which drugs are administered, and along with that, protect patients from the pharmaceutical industries that are unfortunately more often than not