In a recent appearance on “The Capitol Hill Show,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared his views on the pressing issue of gun-related violence in America.
He firmly stated, “I’m not going to do anything during my presidency to take people’s guns away.” However, he emphasized that violence, particularly against children, is “unacceptable” and needs to end.
Kennedy highlighted a perplexing trend: despite no per capita increase in gun ownership over the past 20 years, mass shootings have “exploded.”
He questioned the reasons behind this surge, suggesting that factors beyond gun availability are at play. “We’ve always had an abundance of guns in this country,” he said, pointing out the need for deeper investigation.
One area Kennedy believes deserves more attention is the potential link between gun violence and other factors, such as psychiatric drugs and video games.
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He noted that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hasn’t studied the causes of gun violence since 1996. “NIH needs to be studying to see if there’s connections to some of the SSRI and psychiatric drugs people are taking,” he argued.
Kennedy also compared the United States to Switzerland, a country with a high number of guns but a significantly lower incidence of mass shootings.
“The last mass shooting they had in Switzerland was 21 years ago. We have them every 21 days,” he observed. This stark contrast raises questions about other contributing factors to America’s gun violence problem.
Reflecting on his own childhood, Kennedy recalled a time when gun clubs at schools were normal, and yet, school shootings were unheard of. “What happened? It’s something else happening, and we need to look at that realistically,” he urged.
In a call to action, Kennedy encouraged a collective inquiry: “Let’s all ask this question together as Americans. Is there something else that explains this?”