The addiction to opioid’s in Alaska is an affliction, only playing second-fiddle to the disease of irresponsible gun-ownership! Each are mental health issues often culminating in senseless death — unintentional overdoses imperiling abuse and depressed hair-trigger impulses in Alaskan’s manically-obsessed suicide victims! Sadly, both seem endemic weapons of self-destruction available at our fingertips. And even more revolting, both seem to be on the increase in our Alaskan communities, and must be legislatively addressed … this session! For, even more socially disparaging, when these emotional-exhilarants combine, they are prone to become homicidal (especially so, as we train our children with video game, assault weapon use), to the detriment of public safety.
Alaska tops the list of the 50 states in deaths resulting from a gun, with about eight deaths every month or nearly 100 per year: That’s with just over 730,000 citizens. Realistically, some may be judged accidental, but of the 95 a-year that are not, most “shooters” are bred as “domestic abusers.”
Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, is sponsoring legislation to detour Alaska from this opioid induced cultural-suicide. He has introduced House Bill 159 to create a statewide opioid-distribution database in his House Rules Committee (while Gov. Bill Walker has requested a similar bill, Senate Bill 79, to be considered in Senate Rules. The Senate Majority seems of other priorities that don’t include Alaskan’s health and civil-welfare — at least so far this session! Both opioid bills require pharmacies maintain a database of consumption, statewide, enabling authorities’ better records of purchase for this often abused prescription medication.
Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, has introduced HB 75 in the House Judiciary Committee intending to maintaining a Domestic Abusers’ “no-buy” list be included on Alaska’s National Instant criminal background Check System (NICS), banning these inclined to assault, from purchasing weapons.
The nightmare of trying to function in an “un-locked and loaded” society was dispelled in the early 20th century (after Al Capone’s, Valentine’s Day Massacre, or in Alaska, Soapy’s gun-fight with lawman Frank Reid), so we must not allow our children to anticipate or fear this disease, preparing for their adult life.
John S. Sonin,
Douglas