What does the typical American gun owner look like?

I support M-rated video game regulation and stronger Internet controls on violent and pornographic materials. Even parents who want to prevent their children access from these things find it difficult in our era to do so- with the technology we have today, that should not be the case.

I support re-opening mental health institutions in major cities; allowing parents to commit disturbed children (as long as they attend family therapy with the committed child); and allowing people to be committed for a 24-hour observation period even if they don't admit they want to kill themselves or someone else. Right now, adults who don't admit to one of those things are nearly impossible to have committed even if they are acting violently. I have seen this with my own eyes because of the struggles I have had with my own mentally ill child.

Still, whenever there is a school shooting, mental health issues are glazed over and violent media is completely ignored- except in the case of this recent declaration by the Kentucky governor. But his voice was quickly swept under the rug by the reporter on that story. The reporter claims there are more guns in America than ever (and is probably correct). However, the number of households owning guns is at an all time low. In fact, the thing that spikes gun sales the most is media hoopla about more gun control!

So, I decided to find out who is the average American gun owner? It isn't some poverty stricken, youthful teen with an anger problem looking to take it out on the nearest high school. The largest portion of gun owners in the United States is over 45, male, multi-racial or white, living in the country or suburbs, with at least some college education, makes over $60,000 a year, and is a veteran of the armed forces. Those are the people additional restrictions are going to impede from buying a gun legally. And that is what this comes down to: legally purchasing guns. Should the Florida shooter been allowed to buy a gun legally- no. But a background check doesn't look at what it needs to look at when it comes to violent crime. It looks for convictions instead of potential for conviction.

When we force mentally ill children to enter regular schools from a young age they get teased and made fun of and beat up- especially boys. They purchase violent video games to take out their anger and discover an excellent training program. They hone their skills and become a ticking time bomb. If we regulate guns, these children will grow up and find ways to get around those regulations whether it means having a spouse make the purchase for them, learning how to make their own gun from scratch, or switching their fascination to other deadly weapons like the bombs so frequently used in other countries. I actually find it ironic that the rest of the world overlooks their own violence issues and focuses on guns in the United States.

The facts are that media has become more graphically violent in the past fifty years. Even though household gun ownership in the United States has gone down, violence has been on the increase around the world. To me, that says the problem is much deeper than just guns.