Whether you identify as far left or far right, you’re still wrong when it comes to gun legislation. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are missing the true problem: it’s not the guns that are killing people, it’s the people using them.

Last week, local Virginia reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were fatally shot on live television by one of their former coworkers. In wake of the tragedy, arguments surfaced on all major news networks with talk of gun control as an appropriate response to the event.

Democrats and Republicans cannot seem to agree on a solution to this major societal problem. Democrats want to increase gun regulations by restricting certain firearms for personal use, making the process of obtaining a gun more difficult and instating universal background checks. Meanwhile, Republicans argue that these things are burdensome on citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

The goal is the same for everyone, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum: to ensure the safety and welfare of the citizens of this country. The commonalities end there, as political leaders struggle greatly to see eye-to-eye on drafting solutions to this problem. It is this polarized focus on gun control that prevents the necessary mental health care reform.

While the interpretation of the Second Amendment differs between Democrats and Republicans, it’s unfair to punish law-abiding citizens by impeding upon their right to gun ownership. If someone is determined to commit a crime using a gun, they’re not going to go through the proper procedures of obtaining one legally. Rather, they will get it through alternative means, such as on the black market or by stealing.

Some politicians, however, are not letting the partisan bickering stop them from pioneering the needed reform in mental health care that could help lessen gun violence.

Congressman John Katko (R-NY), who represents the 24th congressional district, which includes Syracuse, is one of those people. He has made it one of his missions to improve and emphasize adolescent mental health care in the Central New York area. He has done so by recruiting specialists and experts to form a mental health taskforce to assist him in addressing this issue.

Katko’s initiatives at the local level should serve as a model for political leaders to follow. Mental health is not, and should not, be turned into another partisan issue that never gets solved without a bloodbath. This is something that impacts the lives of 18.5 percent of the adult population and needs to be addressed immediately, rather than swept under the rug.

Adam Lanza, Elliot Rodger of the Isla Vista massacre and the most recent perpetrator of horrific gun violent crimes, Vester Flanagan, were likely to have committed the crimes they did. If they had received proper treatment, the 35 victims of their crimes alone could still be with us today.

In politics, everyone thinks they’re right, even when they’re not. In this case, both sides think they have the best solution, but that stubbornness is what is getting in the way of much needed change.

Despite the good intentions behind it, if political actors want to see fewer instances of these horrific gun crimes, they need to tackle the root of the problem which starts with increased attention to mental health issues.

Vanessa Salman is a junior political science major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vksalman@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @VanessaSalman.

Published on September 1, 2015 at 7:19 pm