Why Do We Keep Blaming Guns Instead of Mental Health and Data?
Most gun violence comes from breakdowns in data, mental health support, and social media’s toxic effects. Education could shift the trajectory. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley talk with Steven Orr about rethinking gun control, confronting societal neglect, and how stronger mental health conversations plus better schooling can prevent future violence. Varied opinions clash, but the resistance to real talk stands out.
Timestamps:
- (00:00) Reform clips miss the point – violence isn’t just about guns
- (06:24) Rapid-fire forces honesty – education and mental health are the levers
- (08:45) Real lesson hits home – society avoids the hard conversations
Connect:
🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X
🎧 Listen to Episodes → Here
Transcript
Steven targets the "family unit" and data blind spots in a stock-market
2
:style exchange and Dave and Jerremy wonder
where's our "missing manual" for life?
3
:Why would we expect connection in a world
that treats soft skills as optional.
4
:Jerremy: At the very, very beginning
of this, the very onset of this,
5
:the earliest stages of all of the
tracking, of all the data, of all the
6
:theories, we need to start working
on the awareness of it in school, the
7
:open conversation of it in school.
8
:We need to find ways to address as
early as possible the loneliness,
9
:the isolation that is going to
continue to happen in this country.
10
:With social media, with technology, we
need to embrace and start changing the
11
:dynamic of how kids are communicating
and having conversations in class.
12
:Those are gonna be the big components
they're gonna have to change in order
13
:for the gun control issue to change.
14
:Because as Steven said, it's not an if or
this, it's not a that or this, but what
15
:we, everyone always agrees on all the time
is that the education system is flawed and
16
:broken and old and needs to be updated.
17
:It, and it needs to be, and it needs
to be updated for where we're going
18
:in 10 years or 20 years or 30 years.
19
:Because this country's not going away.
20
:America's never going away.
21
:Are never gonna, guns
are never going away.
22
:what is gonna change is, and what
hasn't changed is how teachers
23
:and students are interacting with
themselves on the majority scale.
24
:And that's the thing that's gonna have
to be updated so that kids, parents,
25
:conversations, discussions, beliefs are
not only shifting and changing, but are
26
:being updated and being tweaked and being
altered so that we can have a bigger,
27
:prosperous, more illustrious future.
28
:Dave: Look I agree with all of that.
29
:I'm still stuck on the
amount of data, the amount of
30
:surveillance, the amount of time.
31
:Look, three planes are flown into
three buildings and $11 trillion
32
:and seven broken countries, and
25 years later with millions dead.
33
:And I'm telling you now,
I don't feel any safer.
34
:We're talking about turning
this eye of sore on.
35
:Onto, our kids and Americans.
36
:And I'm like as much as we're trying
to solve the, make things better, and
37
:the quote unquote, good of this is
like anytime that we put time, money,
38
:and energy towards something, that's
also an opportunity for people to be
39
:manipulated, people to be I dunno, I'm
feeling a little tinfoil hat, but like
40
:I, and maybe a little libertarianism is
is rubbing into me, but I'm, like I, I
41
:keep on seeing example after example.
42
:The older I get is that maybe we
need to live with some of this
43
:rather than try and solve everything.
44
:Steven Orr: Oh, I will never live with it.
45
:Dave, I'll tell you what's interesting
is, and I think that's why we have to
46
:be loud and proud about this stuff.
47
:So many people will say,
don't talk about gun violence.
48
:Don't talk about it 'cause you
don't as a CEO of a company.
49
:But, it's interesting you talk about
nine 11, but had we just stopped
50
:those pilots that wanted to learn
and down in Marathon, Florida, all
51
:they wanted to learn was how to fly.
52
:They didn't care about
how to land the plane.
53
:That
54
:should have been red flags, right?
55
:That could have stopped
at right then and there.
56
:Over it'd been done.
57
:We would've had nine 11, but the world
would've been different place than
58
:today, than it ever would've been.
59
:But we didn't.
60
:It was it's never one thing
that causes the problem.
61
:It's a myriad of things and
it's a cascading of things.
62
:And it was when it spirals out of control.
63
:And right now we're at a
point where we have to.
64
:The fact that we even have to
have a podcast to talk about
65
:this tells you where we are as a
66
:country, right?
67
:And to me, that's great.
68
:And if we have to, it's great
and let's get it done right?
69
:And let's just solve this problem.
70
:Let's get Jerremy elected president
of the United States, right?
71
:But when you look at this, these
problems, all of these triggers that
72
:we knew could have been stopped,
nine 11 would never happened.
73
:It never would've happened had we
had just said, oh, wait a minute.
74
:These guys didn't wanna
learn how to land the plane.
75
:And the guys that taught them how to
taught them a marathon, I guarantee
76
:I'm saying, I bet you some of those
had guns, so guns didn't stop them.
77
:When I look at the next level of
the future, how we're getting there
78
:with the AI and how we interact
with each other social media side.
79
:Social media's changed
over the last 20 years.
80
:It used to be where most people
don't know this, but Facebook was
81
:actually built outta bullying.
82
:Mark Zuckerberg literally built Facebook
because he was tired of being bullied by
83
:girls who didn't want rejected him because
84
:of not dating.
85
:Jerremy: Yeah.
86
:Yeah.
87
:Yep.
88
:Steven Orr: The very bottom of the heart
of the guy who's writing the code for
89
:the world of how we handle Instagram
and social media, that's a trigger.
90
:Now today, he's happily married
with beautiful, kids and a good
91
:life, and that's great, but
that's why he built it right.
92
:And what it grew out of that, the
social media side of all of this,
93
:and I'm very proud of Mark Zuckerberg
and I'm very proud of things.
94
:But we're living in the future of Elon
Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos
95
:because they're the ones riding the coat.
96
:The ones with consciousness and really
wanna make a better place for America,
97
:should be the ones writing the code
should be one that writing in the future.
98
:And right now it seems that it's
narcissistic, that's controlling
99
:the narrative of what's being
built and what's being controlled.
100
:And our social media is literally
being controlled by narcissists.
101
:Look at Fox Business,
look at homes It, right?
102
:They've changed over
the la over the course.
103
:Look at the narcissism of people
in general who are building things.
104
:And I'm not scared to
say all of this, right?
105
:I think it's, we need to understand
the root of the cause of problems.
106
:So when you look at the next level of
all of this, look at the social media.
107
:Are we putting on those
guardrails that need to happen?
108
:If someone says, trigger words,
are we putting on the guardrails?
109
:If someone says something in behind
the scenes that shouldn't be saying,
110
:Hey, they're gonna blow something
up, or they're gonna do something,
111
:we should take them seriously.
112
:Because if we don't, then it's
on us as good people saying,
113
:Hey, wait a minute, this guy said
he wants to blow up the school.
114
:So we need to think about what
he said and why did he say it.
115
:He may not he, he may be blustered
just talking, but we don't know that.
116
:So let's find out and then
stop that before it happens.
117
:And guess what?
118
:Then there wouldn't be a school shooting.
119
:Jerremy: Yeah.
120
:Thank you Steven.
121
:So you're gonna love this round
questions, 10 words or less answers,
122
:and they all have a stock market
theme under them, because why not?
123
:That's how you and I create our money,
and, it's fun and it's exciting.
124
:All right?
125
:Buy or sell the idea that
more guns equals less crime.
126
:Steven Orr: sell?
127
:Jerremy: What is the number one about
guns in America That everyone gets wrong?
128
:Steven Orr: That guns kill people.
129
:Not people kill people.
130
:Jerremy: Love it.
131
:What is the most undervalued solution
that nobody is talking about?
132
:Steven Orr: Family unit,
133
:Jerremy: There we go.
134
:And if you could force every member
of Congress to watch one video or
135
:read one chart, what would it be?
136
:Steven Orr: Palantir, because that
chart is telling the world where
137
:we're going that data is important
and how we're using that data.
138
:Jerremy: Very nice, Steven, big
B, or it's always a pleasure, man.
139
:Thank you for being so diligent and for
caring and for showing up in a large way.
140
:And thank you always
for your support in me.
141
:And thank you for reaching out on the
phone and talking to me relatively
142
:frequently and just being an incredible
leader in the industry, being a great
143
:husband, being a great community member,
being someone who cares not only about
144
:politics, but the blending of politics
into the community, into the people around
145
:you, into the online social stratosphere.
146
:You are a force for good, sir.
147
:Thank you for your time.
148
:Steven Orr: I appreciate all those
kind words, Jerremy and Dave.
149
:And when I look at my own self as time,
I always go back to one statement.
150
:It takes a village to raise.
151
:We have to understand that
we're not alone in this world.
152
:And that every action and reaction
that we create is also a positive
153
:or negative for the world.
154
:A day doesn't go by, that's.
155
:Someone thanks me for mentoring them and
I didn't even know that I mentored them.
156
:And sometimes we don't always
see what our actions do.
157
:And so when I look at other people
around the world, it's your actions that,
158
:that define you, not just your words.
159
:Jerremy: Yes.
160
:Thank you so much, Steven.
161
:I'm sure we will have you
back to get in the future.
162
:You rock.
163
:Steven Orr: Thanks guys.
164
:Jerremy: All right.
165
:DC Dave Conley, we had
a returning guest on.
166
:We Love some Steven.
167
:We love all of our guests.
168
:We love all of our guests.
169
:First, returning guest.
170
:Dave, what did you learn in that
discussion with Steve Big B or.
171
:Dave: I think with, Steven is, he's so
wicked smart and I feel like whenever
172
:we hit up one of these hard issues.
173
:And there's a lot of energy around it.
174
:And I think there is a lot
of like sides on this one.
175
:There's a left to, there's a right,
there's a take all the guns, there's,
176
:my rights, there's tyranny, like people
will throw around a lot of words and.
177
:When you drain all that energy out of it
and be like, Hey, this is what's going on.
178
:And I think we started this with that.
179
:It's look, a lot of this gun violence is,
almost all of it is men and young boys.
180
:All of this is suicides and happening in
urban settings and poors, poor people.
181
:Like as soon as we start saying, this
is where we need to put our political
182
:energy, and oh, by the way, we are not
putting any political energy on it.
183
:We're not talking about gun violence
at all, and it is an epidemic.
184
:So I, I think when you get somebody
like Stephen here, what I learn
185
:is that people do wanna have smart
conversations and people, do have great
186
:solutions, and they're just right there.
187
:And we just have to drain a little
bit of the emotion out of things,
188
:which I think is everywhere.
189
:Like the keyboard warriors are everywhere.
190
:As soon as we start talking about
things, then people are like,
191
:yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
192
:Yeah, we could do that.
193
:Yeah, that's possible.
194
:Like we, we get back into the realm
of possibility again, and that's what
195
:I learned from Steven every time.
196
:Jerremy: Yeah.
197
:Yeah, man.
198
:Having those big, fun, cool,
powerful conversations.
199
:What I learned, number
one, was that you have a.
200
:Gun toting Second Amendment man,
who's yeah, I think there should
201
:be some additional laws around gun
ownership, and I'm okay with it.
202
:I think it makes sense because
I'm willing to concede those the
203
:obligations for what I want to do.
204
:I'm okay to concede certain.
205
:What you, what some people could
call infringement of freedoms into,
206
:alright, for the greater safety and
for to make other people feel safe.
207
:I'm down for that.
208
:And what all of that means is,
Hey, my name is Jerremy Newsom
209
:and I can't drive or semi-truck.
210
:Why can't I drive a semi-truck?
211
:There's more rights that come with it.
212
:Why?
213
:Why do more rights come with a semi-truck?
214
:They're larger.
215
:They're fa they're not faster, but they
are much more powerful and they can
216
:potentially cause a lot more damage.
217
:A semi jackknifes in a, on an interstate.
218
:Runs over 15 cars versus just
two or three, and now the entire
219
:interstate is backed up for
hours causing a whole impediment.
220
:Why can't I drive this in my truck
without a commercial driver's license?
221
:That's why they're, they have
more perpetual motion ultimately.
222
:Okay.
223
:So we can do and implement
the exact same thing with.
224
:AR fifteens with semi-automatics
with these huge submachine guns.
225
:I have.
226
:I recently went to a gun range,
but it was out in the middle of
227
:absolutely nowhere in Nevada.
228
:It's two hour drive from my house,
an hour through the desert, and
229
:we shot these huge, incredible,
like 50 cow, like it was amazing.
230
:But the facility, has licenses.
231
:Business licenses.
232
:I went through and I asked
the owner like, what type of
233
:like restrictions do you have?
234
:And you're like, oh man, they're
in, they're incredible restrictions.
235
:They're awesome.
236
:Like he was very ha he was excited
about how difficult it was in a way
237
:to run his business because he goes,
no one in their right mind should have
238
:an arsenal like I have personally.
239
:There's no need for it, right?
240
:We I'm here to create entertainment.
241
:Like he was very aware.
242
:Of what he creates and what he's doing.
243
:He has a tank, he has
a flame thrower, right?
244
:And there's so many restrictions
that he goes through and so many
245
:forms he fills out on the regular.
246
:And he also says he's very careful
what he has to say on social media.
247
:He's very aware of what he has
to post and things of that nature
248
:because he has so much weapons on him.
249
:The aspect that Steven brought up to.
250
:That I also really understood
to be relevant was, again, just
251
:some type of update, some type
of check, some type of wellness.
252
:Hey, every 10 years someone's life
is gonna change dramatically, right?
253
:You got fired, you got promoted,
you got divorced, you got
254
:remarried, you had a kid, you had
two kids, 10 kids, eight kids.
255
:You have, you want, what's your.
256
:Lifelike 10 years later, and to get a no,
a new gun license, you just have to simply
257
:pop in and let's do a wellness check.
258
:Let's have a conversation.
259
:So these are these discussions that kind
of go back and forth as saying, Hey,
260
:those who want more control, who want more
yeah, who want more laws and restrictions
261
:around guns, we will give those to you.
262
:Do I actually think
that's going to decrease?
263
:One V one gun violence and or public MA
or masculine shootings, I don't think that
264
:those small, tiny changes are going to
impact the bottom line, and that is what
265
:Steven was really just nodding against
head about when I started discussing.
266
:What I have always felt is
probably gonna be the main
267
:root issue of almost any major.
268
:Problem in this country that
affects humans directly is
269
:the educational component.
270
:And as I started going through
the discussion, and I always have
271
:where the more we realize that
the future is rapidly changing.
272
:And it's never going away.
273
:Once we get something as a country
it doesn't just oh, sorry, I forgot
274
:that we shouldn't have done that.
275
:We shouldn't have given you social media.
276
:We shouldn't have given you the internet.
277
:It isolates people.
278
:It bullies people, okay?
279
:That's not ever changing.
280
:Call of Duty is never going away.
281
:These are the, these are things that
are just aren't going to happen.
282
:We're not gonna take away movies,
and we're not gonna take away
283
:things that individuals can watch.
284
:Now what we can do is require parents
to be a part of school systems.
285
:Not a lot, Dave, not all the
time, but require mom and dad to
286
:show up, require children to go
through meditation practices and
287
:conversations of discussions.
288
:Heart openings, deliberations, discussions
of who is right, who is wrong, why
289
:create tension, create turmoil, create
animosity, create this tension in a
290
:classroom, and then show children how to.
291
:Settle into the tension, how to release
the tension, how f to have it all.
292
:Okay.
293
:Where you can still have disagreements
and it's absolutely fine to have
294
:a disagreement and still love
someone else Wholeheartedly.
295
:How you've been married.
296
:I'm married.
297
:How many times did you look
at your spouse and go, I whoa.
298
:We ha we have tension right now.
299
:And now we get to have a conversation.
300
:And I'm not gonna physically alter
have an altercation of any kind.
301
:We're going to discuss,
we're going to have this deep
302
:embodiment of love and protection.
303
:And you know what, dude, that
took me a long time to self-learn.
304
:It did.
305
:But these are the changes that can
easily be made because there's certain
306
:things that are never going to go away
in this country, and guns is one of them.
307
:Guns is are never going to go away, ever.
308
:And we can have certain restrictions and
we can give the party that really feels
309
:like, yes, that's what we need to do.
310
:But what the data shows is not that.
311
:The data shows that very clearly as the
majority of the deaths are coming from.
312
:A very certain select population, and
that generally is because of veterans,
313
:and that is generally because this
country is a war bound world policing.
314
:Monolith that just wants to have all
the oil imaginable for ourselves.
315
:And it is evident to me that both the
NRA and the VA are 100% failing their
316
:core customer, their core population
that they are focusing on, that they're
317
:trying to uncover, they're trying to help.
318
:'cause it is a money grab.
319
:It is wildly inefficient.
320
:And those, in my personal opinion,
would create much more impactful change.
321
:That's what I learned.
322
:Dave: I'm a hundred
percent with you on this.
323
:I I feel like the one thing that we
know would work, we're doing none of,
324
:and that is like having the equivalent
of health class, like having mental
325
:wellbeing not only for yourself but also.
326
:For others around you.
327
:And I don't know if it's touchy
or what, like I know when we
328
:were talking to teachers they
were like, no, man, increasingly.
329
:Those things, just having recess or
having art class or having, any of
330
:those extracurriculars, like they're
treated as optional, and I think
331
:we're, at least I'm saying that.
332
:Yeah.
333
:For gun owners, I'm with
you a hundred percent.
334
:There needs to be heavy
duty education going on.
335
:You know the laws of these things.
336
:When to use a gun, how to use a gun.
337
:It's not just going to the range
and learning how to shoot it.
338
:It's also the responsibility
that goes with it.
339
:Along with that, recognizing both
for you and for gun owners in your
340
:life when they are struggling.
341
:When I unexpectedly lost my wife after 13
years of marriage, and like one day she
342
:was there and the next day, she was gone.
343
:I had the wherewithal and also
people around me and my friends and
344
:family were like, okay we're taking.
345
:We're taking all the
alcohol out of your house.
346
:And I'm like, okay, great.
347
:And we're gonna make sure that, you don't,
spiral into, something really bad here.
348
:So we're gonna, there's a, there
was a rally around me, which, it.
349
:It took some time because, something
tragic and crazy had happened, but
350
:I had smart people around me, and
I don't think everybody has that.
351
:And I think increasingly, like
we are in a, a fractured society
352
:that, that these are, problematic.
353
:So going back and teaching people
from a very young age be like,
354
:okay, these are some things that
you know are your responsibility as,
355
:a human being in your human body.
356
:Not only for yourself, but also for
the people around you to be like, these
357
:are things you gotta watch out for.
358
:And.
359
:And teaching that,
360
:Jerremy: yep.
361
:Dave: just having meditation, but
it's also Hey, there's a social aspect
362
:aspect
363
:Jerremy: Yes, dude.
364
:Dave: of living that is just gone.
365
:And we're not asking the
government to be a nanny here.
366
:We're just saying live in society.
367
:There, there is hey the, we don't
get a manual when we are born.
368
:There is no, there is.
369
:There's no book that we get and
it's you pop out and you're like,
370
:okay here's how human works.
371
:No, we are, we're just expected
to know and we don't have that.
372
:Like I think there's, that manual
is missing and that's something
373
:that we need to put back in people's
hands to be like, Hey, there,
374
:this is what this is all about.
375
:Jerremy: Beautiful.
376
:Beautiful.
377
:You're, yeah, exactly.
378
:Always.
379
:You always just drop mics.
380
:Dave,
381
:mic dropping machine.
382
:Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
friends and family, dedicated listeners.
383
:Thank you.
384
:Thank you for tuning in.
385
:This has been another episode
of Solving America's Problems.
386
:Please tag us solve USA Pod
on X and solving America's
387
:Problems podcast on Instagram.
388
:You may notice we have started
creating more social media content.
389
:Shout out to our boy Dave Conley
for getting that done in such
390
:a beautiful and eloquent way.
391
:Also, if you have.
392
:Two thumbs or any other finger
or any other ability to click
393
:a phone or computer mouse.
394
:Hit us with a five star
review and share this episode.
395
:Subscribe to all our future
episodes because Dave and myself
396
:are going to be solving all kinds
of America's problems in:
