Recently there have been letters in support of gun regulation and raising the salaries of our teachers. These may seem like unconnected issues, but they are connected. The huge number of guns in our population surpasses other similar nations. We also have children living in poverty, feeling unsafe at school, being bullied, struggling with a whole host of other psychosocial problems who aren’t getting their needs met and teachers working to fill that void.

A significant part of the problem leading to gun violence is the easy access and prevalence of guns, but another significant problem is the societal ills that children face early on that do not support their social, emotional and mental health. I am not saying that these circumstances cause mental illness and that mental illness causes gun violence as that is rarely the case. What I am saying is that we don’t support children and young families in this state or this country in a way that promotes mental health.

If we want to truly address gun violence in this country we do need to address the prevalence of guns, but we also need to address the underlying social causes that promote a lack of mental wellness and help our children grow in safety, getting their basic needs met, and not perceiving the world as an unkind, threatening and angry place. Among other things, we need to support our teachers, have more school counselors, have more help for struggling families, and yes we need fewer guns.

P. Lynn Ouellette M.D.
Brunswick

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