When families break down it can set the stage for violence
After reading the article “CHP: 2 teen boys on spring break road trip killed in Merced County DUI crash” (Front Page, March 27), I cannot ever imagine the family’s heartache. DUI death and injury stats in this and many counties are so bad. The irony of the “weapon” used in these deaths is inescapable. The alleged drunk driver used a car and liquor as weapons, and two teens are dead.
You never hear of mass marches against liquor or cars, and you never will. The common element in this incident and the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., is the human component.
In 1963, when I was 17, my mother shot my father with a handgun. He almost died. This incident remains to this day the most devastating of my life. Was there mental illness involved? Of course. But I have never blamed the gun.
My friends and I speak of “family breakdowns.” Some people may laugh but, with few exceptions, a new effort in America to support positive mental health conditions in families could help with family stability. Then, just maybe, there will be fewer mass killings.
Karolyn Alvarez, Atwater
This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "When families break down it can set the stage for violence."