I have a like-hate relationship with Prof. Kwame Appiah, the current proprietor of the New York Times Magazine’s “The Ethicist” column. The most credentialed of the many individuals who have manned the column (one was female) has provided me with fodder for many EA posts, often critical ones, and I am properly grateful. However, his embedded New York Times Standard Progressive bias is a constant problem for him (and me, as an ethicist observing his conduct), and his latest column is a particularly annoying example.
A friend of a senior married couple [Aside: the Times illustrator draws them as an inter-racial pair, though there is nothing in the facts to suggest that. This is just one of the thousands of little ways our media tries to surreptitiously embed its priorities into the culture. I feel my arm being twisted. Don’t you?] writes,
“I have friends in their 70s who have taken in their adult son following his divorce. It is going on two years now, and he is making no progress at finding work or moving out. Granted he has mental-health issues, like panic disorder and depression, but he lives rent-free, has a dog he does not take care of and berates his parents on a regular basis. His parents won’t even ask him to help around the house because they are afraid of his volatility. He can become extremely angry, especially toward his father. He also owns a gun. This last bit scares the heck out of me. His father is going to retire in a couple of months, and they are planning to sell their home and move out of state. They have told their son that he is not coming with them, and the son is upset about this. His mother is trying to put together family counseling sessions but is having difficulty finding something they can afford. As the deadline of the move approaches, I truly worry the son will shoot himself or shoot his parents and then himself. I’ve known this family for 35 years. Do I call adult protective services? Do I alert the police that a mentally ill man owns a gun? I am truly concerned.“
Fine. Be concerned. Give them advice. However, there is literally nothing in the friend’s narrative—and she doesn’t live with the family—that suggests that the son is going to shoot himself or his parents except the single fact that he owns a gun, which he has every right to do. Hoplophobia is popularly known as gunphobia, and a lot of American have it, especially women and progressives as well as Democrats and members of the news media like “The Ethicist,” and, obviously, “Name Withheld,” who writes most of the questions that get published in Prof. Appiah’s column.
I find it incredible that The Ethicist’s advice in this case includes,
Ethics Alarms 
Those poor parents. Ugh.
Alright, pretend there is no gun. Are there any red flags in this picture? Any indications that this person might respond to a difficult change with violence towards himself or others? If you learned that he did do something violent, and someone said they didn’t see any warning signs, would you mock them?
Without making any statements yet about the best way to approach the situation or to help those involved, what would you consider to be a warning sign that someone is likely to do something violent, in a situation like this?
That he has engaged in violence before. From this position, whatever happens is moral luck, and second guessing is hindsight.
Jack Marshall wrote, “That he has engaged in violence before…”
Or actually threatened violence, all threats of violence should be taken seriously.
True threats.
I think we can assume that their kitchen is also equipped with a variety of sharp pointy knives, which would be deadly weapons if so applied. I think that it’s worth a gentle inquiry, though, as to why the son owns a gun. Does he enjoy recreational shooting? Does he hunt with it? Does he feel that it’s needed for self defense? Has he done these things for many years, and keep the gun as a keepsake? These are questions for the family and their friends, not for the police. Is the gun stored in accordance with safety rules: trigger-locked, unloaded? Gun safety should be a category of shared knowledge within the household, so they can recognize if unsafe practices are being allowed. Like the North Wind blowing at the travelers cloak, the threat to remove a gun due to amateur diagonsis of mental health issues is likely to make the owner even less likely to investigate mental health care options.
This is a big issue. Illinois denies concealed carry licenses to people who have been to therapists or psychiatrists even once, for life. See a therapist for depression while in college, see your civil rights restricted for the rest of your life. Brought to you by the ‘compassionate’ people. That is why Chicago is so safe.