I am a psychiatric nurse at a mental hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The single most important objective at the hospital \u2013 one that every single employee can tell you verbatim \u2013 is to keep people safe when they are at risk to harm themselves or others. We offer many other helpful services beyond that one objective; but primarily, we keep individuals safe from self-harm or suicide and we keep the society safe by removing those who could potentially harm others (dangerous psychosis, homicide, aggression, uncontrolled substance abuse, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two primary ways a psychiatric hospital keeps patients safe. First of all, we have what is called, \u201cchecks\u201d where every single patient has a staff member lay eyes on them a minimum of 5 times an hour to \u201ccheck\u201d that they are okay and not exhibiting any dangerous behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, in addition to \u201cchecks,\u201d a psychiatric hospital keeps the environment as safe as possible with things like: beds nailed to the floor, heavy, solid chairs and tables that cannot be broken or thrown, unbreakable windows, etc. But most importantly, keeping every patient safe requires psychiatric hospitals to have a list of contraband items which are prohibited in the hospital. Contraband includes obvious things: knives, cigarettes, lighters, drugs and alcohol. But it also includes less obvious items: pens, mirrors, belts, any clothing item with a string, notebooks with wire binding, and shoelaces. Basically, it\u2019s anything that could be used to harm themselves or others or that could be used in a suicide attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time I admit a new patient to the hospital and I explain contraband, they usually say to me, \u201cBut I\u2019m not a risk. I won\u2019t do anything dangerous with these shoelaces. I promise. I\u2019m safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tell them, \u201cI know it doesn\u2019t seem fair that everyone must turn in their shoelaces. But the primary objective of this hospital is that everyone here is safe. And because this unit operates in community \u2013 where you will share meals, group activities, the lounge area and in some cases, even sleeping quarters, the only way to assure everyone is safe is to make sure no one has access to potentially dangerous items.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I explain this to my patients, they typically understand. They realize they chose (in most cases) to come and they don\u2019t want to be responsible for their personal contraband getting in the hands of someone who might do harm with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, there are exceptions to the shoelace rule. Sometimes, a patient who is not a high-suicide risk needs good shoes for balance, or has diabetic foot ulcers, or achy feet. In those cases, the doctor makes an exception. Sometimes the doctor says, \u201cYou have proven a need for shoelaces. You have a sound mind and you will either keep these shoelaces on your being or make sure they are locked up when not in use so that they never end up in the hands of anyone else. You can keep your shoelaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBUT WE\u2019RE NOT SICK LIKE YOUR PATIENTS!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe America can learn a lot from my psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some might think it\u2019s absurd to compare a psychiatric floor at a mental hospital with America. But the two are more similar than you might think. Both are communities in the truest sense. I think our denial of this truth is at the core of this gun issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of America\u2019s most unique distinctions is our elevation of the self and our \u201cfree to be me\u201d mindset. We call these liberties. For the most part, we do not elevate the preservation of the family, the necessity of community, and our God-given role in society as much as other civilizations do. We\u2019re fiercely independent and proud of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what makes it so much harder for us to wrap our minds around our responsibilities to the WHOLE, not just the self. No matter who we are and where we live, we are part of something bigger. We are a part of a community and the way we choose to live our lives most definitely affects the lives of those around us. Community members make decisions every day that affect those around them: How\/when\/where we drive, smoke, drink and do drugs; how we vote; what we buy (affecting availability for others. Think: toilet paper and baby formula); using restraint (think: running naked through a mall, a peeping Tom, or shooting firecrackers onto the property of a veteran); going to public places or events while sick with a communicable illness; and how (or if) we take care of our garbage, our elderly, and our parks. Even things as mundane as the way we treat the grocery store clerk, the children playing in the street, and the pizza delivery boy ALL MATTER because we live in community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re hearing a lot about blaming mental illness to the gun violence problem in America. Of course, this is true. Mentally stable people don\u2019t go shoot 19 children and two teachers in a school classroom. But what is also true is that never before in the history of America have we been so saturated with mentally unstable people. We\u2019ve never been sicker and wearier. From wars, violence, famine, drought, abuse, COVID, sex-trafficking, and extremist views pushing us farther apart from one another \u2013 to some extent, we are all \u201ccracking up.\u201d We\u2019re a hurting, angry, broken, and confused people, and things are only going to get worse (the Bible tells us so). In hospital terms, we\u2019d say, \u201cThe acuity is very high.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This translates to an unprecedented number of people looking for the \u201cshoelaces.\u201d Of course, shoelaces don\u2019t kill people, people kill people. But when shoelaces are so prevalent in a community that is not well, people will die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An inconvenient truth for gun supporters (those holding firm to a position of little to no restrictions) is that in America, 6 out of 10 deaths from guns are deaths from suicide, NOT homicide. (click here)<\/a>. We\u2019re experiencing the tragic and unnecessary loss of life at a dizzying pace and guns are the method of choice to get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when these pro-gun adherents suggest solutions like, \u201carm the teachers,\u201d or \u201cmore good guys with guns,\u201d or \u201cincrease school security,\u201d or \u201cone entrance\u201d \u2013 these things don\u2019t do squat to solve the bigger problem with guns: suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Americans and certainly as Christians, I think it\u2019s absolutely proper to be freaking out over a mass murder of school children by an unstable young man with an assault rifle. I can\u2019t believe the whole country didn\u2019t just stop in its tracks and spend at least a week in pure shock and lament. BUT, IN ADDITION to the lament necessary for mass shootings, let us not forget that those same weapons \u2013 those shoelaces, if you will \u2013 are ending up in the hands of those who want to take their own lives, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBUT WHAT ABOUT MY FREEDOMS? THIS IS AMERICA!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After web-surfing for hours searching for the best definition of government and its purposes, I struggled to find one concise purpose. To be honest, I was looking for proof that our constitution primarily protects our safety as a people, not our liberties. But that\u2019s not true. It\u2019s not one or the other, it\u2019s both\/and.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of our Federal Government, as found in the Preamble of the Constitution, is to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“\u2026establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And James Madison, our 4th president and author of the constitution said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[t]he powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and <\/strong>prosperity<\/strong> of the State.\u201d <\/strong>

These reserved powers have generally been referred to as police powers, such as those required for public safety, health, and welfare.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that those who wish to disagree with me on this will point out the word \u201cliberties\u201d in both the above quotes and insist owning a gun is their American liberties expressed. I agree. But if our \u201cliberties\u201d trumped our safety, both quotes could have been much shorter and simply stopped at: \u201cThe government exists to ensure no one is ever told what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We simply can NOT separate the safety of our people from our liberties. They were never meant to be mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when the two polarized viewpoints of gun control insist on making their \u201cthing,\u201d \u2013 either safety or liberty \u2013 the ONE THING, we run into serious trouble. We\u2019ll never come up with a solution (as is the state of our current affairs.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll never stop believing that if we could put to rest our political posturing, we could find a solution to the massive amounts of death in country via the use of guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBUT I\u2019M SAFE! WHY SHOULD I GIVE UP MY GUN?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem a breech to our liberties to have an (even limited) ban on guns simply because some in society are mentally unstable. But the reality is we are IN COMMUNITY together and guns are just rampantly finding their way into the hands of those who wish to do harm to themselves or others. When we understand that we ARE a community, we understand that sometimes rights and privileges (liberties) must be restricted to keep everyone safe (like shoelaces in a psychiatric hospital).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone should have to give up their guns. Sometimes those in charge (like our doctors) will say, \u201cYou have proven that you need your gun. You have a sound mind and you will either have this gun on your being or make sure it is locked up when not in use so that it never ends up in the hands of someone else. You can keep your gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless we can accept that this is in no way an infringement on our liberties, but simply putting safety on the same, equal page as liberty, we\u2019ll never be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As things now stand, we have more guns in America than people. (click here<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If my psychiatric hospital allowed for more shoelaces than actual people, we would have dead bodies everywhere. Every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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