A Response to Assessing Firearm Shootings and Psychotropic Drugs in Minors

Letters from America 5

Tom set out with the noble aim of addressing the relationship between shootings with firearms and exposure to psychotropic drugs in minors.

Firearm shootings and psychotropic drugs in minors

Before I get into the meat of the issue, he should have considered the lack of will to investigate this issue, which means any suggestions will fall on deaf ears.  Removing the non-relevant studies from his search reveals roughly one case-control publication annually. In the same period, PubMed indexed over 27 million papers: the issue of gun violence accounts for less than 1 in a million papers published. 

The first question we need to consider is why there is so little research on this topic. Unsurprisingly, so-called overnight experts can make outrageous claims, as there is a lack of evidence to verify anything they say.

The second aspect to consider is the overall trend. Since 1992, the number of students, staff, and non-student school-associated violent deaths has remained relatively stable.

Although the events are devastating, they are still rel…