Guns: Debate Belongs in the Public because it is a Public Health Policy that affects us all.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/15418364-95/my-turn-debate-over-guns-belongs-in-the-arena-of-public-health-policy

We live in a culture of fear-mongering. There are many fears to catalog. There is fear of terrorism, foreign and domestic. Then there are mass shootings at colleges, schools, movie theaters, religious sites and malls. There are serial killers, drug lords, gangs and just common criminals. The list is long.

We have a 24/7 media spin cycle that thrives on sensationalism. Shootings, especially mass shootings, grab large audiences so they are featured by many cable outlets. Politics are secondary. Whether it is Fox News or MSNBC, they all cover it for the ratings.

I would submit that fear-mongering has damaged our collective lives. All the sensationalist coverage has led us to expect Charlie Hebdo-type episodes. Even in sleepy backroads New Hampshire, we are not immune. The local history of no such carnage does not seem to reassure.