Guns and Mental Health by Walk the Talk America

Dr. Sherry Molock is an associate professor of psychology at the George Washington University and also holds a Master of Divinity degree. She works with faith-based communities to educate on sexual matters, HIV/AIDS, and suicide prevention. Mike met Sherry through their work together with Convergence, a group of disparate leaders across the firearms, violence, and suicide prevention communities across the United States. 

When she began her involvement she lacked any knowledge of guns whatsoever and has grown to understand the reasons that people own guns and advocate to protect that right. Her work in multiple arenas to bridge the gap between seemingly divergent and incompatible viewpoints and cultures contributes mightily to the conversation about guns and mental health. We hope you find this conversation as enjoyable as we did. 

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Perhaps best known in the gun community for successfully defending his life against an armed attacker, Mychael is also a gun store owner, follower of Jesus, and father of three young children. He is also the first African American under the age of 25 in the state of Illinois to obtain a FFL and also the youngest FFL holder in the country to date. 

In this episode Myke shares his story of self defense, some insights on entrepreneurship, his strength in spiritual faith, his journey through counseling after the shooting, and what he plans to do in the future to help gun owners prepare better.  He believes his story can inspire responsible gun owners to avoid falling victim to gun violence.

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Sandy RIchardson lives in New York and has owned guns her whole life. She also works in health care. Those two world collided in 2020 when she sought some counseling for pandemic- and other life-related stress, only to discover that she was "flagged" in a state health database designed to prevent law-abiding citizens from obtaining firearms after receiving mental health treatment. 

This is her story. 

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Top Shot Chris rejoins Mike and Jake to discuss mental health in deeper detail, sharing his own path to recovery via counseling, as well as his perspective on the increase in violence crime perpetrated against Asian Americans. He also talks about home defense and the stress that has befallen many people due to the economic downturn.  

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Tom Nguyen bought his first gun intentionally to take his own life with it. In this episode we discuss masculinity, race relations, liberalism and conservatism, and a few other subjects.

Tom is a Liberal Gun Club certified Instructor, NRA certified Instructor & Range Safety Officer, and National African American Gun Association member. He offers private & group lessons at various locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange County.

As a refugee who fled a war, Tom understands that guns can be triggering and have traumatic associations in many BIPOC communities. He had to overcome his immigrant parents’ fear of guns to fulfill his childhood dreams of owning and shooting firearms. After witnessing a gun homicide in his 20s, he started taking his shooting and training seriously, from handguns to rifles and shotguns.

Upon seeing scores of new gun owners who would've never considered firearms before the pandemic and civil unrest, he founded L.A. Progressive Shooters in 2020 as a non-intimidating and inclusive community, focused on safety and education, for BIPOC and liberals new to firearms.

When Tom isn’t teaching or shooting, he documents LA’s multicultural music & dance scene at EnClave.LA.

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Erin Yeung has been in Public Safety Dispatch for 17 years and is the owner/host of the podcast "Your Oxygen Mask First", which is aimed at guiding people in "helping" roles and professions to resources for mental health and overall wellness.  The podcast also shares stories of people who have overcome struggles and are now thriving, as well as interviews with experts in these fields. You can't help others unless you help yourself first! 

Erin also serves on the board of directors of the Nevada Peer Support Network, a non-profit organization that works to provide training for peer support groups and members, as well as training and resources surrounding mental health and resiliency for members of the public safety, medical, and veteran communities in Nevada and Northern California.

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Kim served in the United States Air Force and presently advocates in many areas for firearms owners, including as the Delaware delegate for DC Project. 

In this podcast Kim shares multiple stories and opinions; using cannabis as a substitute for all psychotropic medication, women as targets for assault, self-defense with a firearm, and about how she leads community members to have their voices heard among elected officials. 

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Jimmy Graham spent more than a decade and a half as a Navy SEAL while earning multiple certifications and promoting several times. He has served overseas in combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Libya. He has trained federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as EMS, firefighters, and dispatch personnel, traveling across the nation to do all of the above.

Jimmy works closely with civilians and professionals alike to improve their knowledge, understanding, and preparation in both armed and unarmed responses to life-threatening situations including active shooter situations and terrorist attacks.

Find out more about Jimmy and his team at ableshepherd.com

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Mike and Jake affectionately refer to Gianni Pirelli as the "Godfather" of guns and mental health because he authored the book that formed the foundation of Walk the Talk America's work in the clinical realm . The Behavioral Science of Firearms  is the seminal publication that gave WTTA the impetus to educate clinical practitioners in their gun community cultural competence. 

Dr. Pirelli has experience in numerous clinical and clinical-forensic settings, many of which have included psychiatric and forensic-psychiatric centers and prisons, and his area of expertise is psychological assessment, particularly in the area of forensic evaluation. He has worked on cases at the county, state and federal levels, and he has conducted evaluations for matters in 19 of the 21 New Jersey counties, in addition to various other states, such as New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and California. Dr. Pirelli’s expertise and work has been highlighted in various media and press outlets: click here for Media & Press links. You may also click here to view Dr. Pirelli’s Curriculum Vitae and click here to view his biosketch.

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Darin Balaam is the 27th person elected to serve as Sheriff of Washoe County since the Office was founded in 1861. He took the oath of office on January 7, 2019, a momentous step for a law enforcement career that began when he was 21 years old. 

Sheriff Balaam’s career includes more than 21 years at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. He held every rank from deputy sheriff to third-in-command as an Assistant Sheriff. His experience encompasses all three bureaus: Operations, Detention and Administration.

As Sheriff, he firmly believes in the importance of education. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada Reno and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Louisville.  Additionally, he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Southwest Command College and the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officers Course. He is committed to supporting education in the schools as well as promoting continuing education for his staff.

Sheriff Balaam is a fifth generation Nevadan. He is a native of Sparks where he still lives with his four children and wife Heather. 

Sheriff Balaam is committed to enhancing mental health services for inmates held within the Washoe County Detention Facility, attacking the opioid crisis, combatting sex trafficking in our community and working with all Washoe County residents and businesses to ensure neighborhoods are safe, diverse and have the ability to thrive. He is a proponent of community policing and is dedicated to proactively addressing the root cause(s) of crime. 

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