On Tougher Gun Laws and Focus on Mental Treatment And a tribute to a friend, Boeing de Andre Dy, 67

by Ting Joven-Giovanelli
January 16, 2011
A month has passed, since the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut, yet, the debate on gun control continues to gain heat in the media. You can’t turn on your television sets without hearing a debate on the subject – prompting some members of the NRA (National Rifles Association) to go extreme on the defensive mode. The scene on Piers Morgan Tonight last week with guest, Alex Jones, a radio host, was a bit shocking, creating a social media buzz right after the show.
Alex Jones is the man behind a petition to deport Piers Morgan back to the UK – just because Piers Morgan has recently pushed for tougher gun control after the mass murder in Sandy Hook Elementary School last December 14.
It is amazing how Jones went into the attack mode during the interview. To quote Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, “ He was an exhibit, like a piece of evidence. You see him speaking and you say to yourself, ‘I don’t want that man to have a gun.’”
Indeed. I was thinking the same thing while watching the interview. The irony of it all – Alex Jones owns 50 guns!
While I support tougher laws on gun control, I have no objection on law-abiding citizens who are gun owners (legally), but why does one have to own 50 guns?
What really is the debate here? The Second Amendment as explained by Alan Dershowitz during the interview with Piers Morgan says: “reasonable access to guns for self-protection and for hunting.” The clamor for control is mainly to prevent guns from landing on the wrong hands.
Personally, this is easier said than done. Even with tougher laws on gun control, there is no guarantee that some mentally sick individual will be prevented from acquiring such weapons.
Hand on hand with tougher gun control, America should focus equally on increasing more Federal funding on Mental Health treatment. It is ironic that Mental Health treatment to this day, has the lowest coverage in health insurance plans. Why is that?
Meanwhile, another very important issue which is just as critical as tougher gun laws, is parental guidance. While writing this article, I was interrupted by a phone call from a friend who informed me that her 15 year old relative has taken his own life early this week, using his father’s gun. My heart sunk! A young man and an honor student at that, has just become another victim. Out of respect to the family’s request for privacy, I cannot divulge any more information about the circumstances.
It is heartbreaking, especially for the immediate members of the family, who failed to recognize the warning signs of their son’s mental state. It is not fair to blame anyone. My heart goes to the grieving family of this young man. We can only hope that after all is said and done, that we can learn something from it.
Another important issue that is never discussed publicly is the absence or lack thereof of spiritual guidance in our public schools. What kind of Americans are we expecting in the next century if the word “God” is not even allowed in our children’s classrooms? America is gaining the reputation as a “gun culture.” Why is that?
As I’ve mentioned in my last article, perhaps, we have too much freedom and rights in this land. How many more tragedies does America need to go through, in order to bring its knees down and realize what we really lack in this country? The fear of offending “the offenders” boggles my mind. After all, this country’s motto since the year 1812 is “In God We Trust.” Whatever happened to that?
So many questions unanswered. Unless we change our priorities in this country, the future will continue to take us into the wrong directions. As a people, we can do something by being part of the change that we want. It is never too late to get involved.
Support the good causes that come knocking on your door. Never slam that door because you never know, when it’s your turn to be knocking on that door.
Boeing de Andre Dy, 1945 -2013
Last but not the least, our sincere condolences to the family of a dear friend, Boeing de Andre Dy – Fashion Designer and a former Chicago resident. Boeing succumbed to a massive heart attack early last week at his home in Naic, Cavite, Philippines. He is remembered as a very private, yet compassionate person. He played an important role in the community, as a Fashion Designer for most of the big events held during the time that he lived in Chicago. He took charge in creating all the gowns I wore when I competed and won the Mrs. Philippines title at the FACC in 1992. We had fond memories of him – a very talented individual indeed. He will be missed. Boeing is survived by his wife Rosemary, and their two children: Rhea, and Christopher, ages 23 and 16 respectively.
tingjoven@aol.com