Incoming NRA President Oliver North Blames Ritalin for School Shootings After Santa Fe High School Shooting

On Sunday, the incoming president of the National Rifle Association blamed the issue of school shootings on a culture of violence and young, white males being “drugged.”

Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North told Fox News Sunday that “many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten.”

Other relevant stories:
• ADHD Eye Contact
• Famous People With ADHD
• How Does ADHD Affect Relationships?
• What is ADHD?

North’s comments came two days after the shooting at Santa Fe High School near Houston. The Associated Press reported investigators do not believe the suspect, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, had ever taken Ritalin.

Ritalin is a stimulant commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin is supposed to increase attention and focus as well as help with behavioral problems. Psychologist at Lehigh University, George DuPaul, told the AP that, if Ritalin had any effect on aggression, it would make children less aggressive.

“There’s really no evidence whatsoever that links treatment for ADHD with Ritalin and drugs like that with violence, let alone gun violence,” he said.

Twitter users have also come out to say that Ritalin hasn’t made them or people they know violent, especially to the extreme of murdering people. They also pointed out that the medication is prescribed in other countries, but other countries do not have the same issue with school shootings that the U.S. does.

I took Ritalin as a kid. I’ve never even held a gun let alone shot somebody. By stigmatizing mental health as a way to scapegoat for Sante Fe, the @NRA is creating new problems instead of solving the real one.

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) May 20, 2018

#IKnewIWasSickWhen I was 9 years old. I was depressed, anxious, hyper and constantly overstimulated. I took Ritalin and Wellbutrin,

And never once did I ever feel the inclination to shoot my classmates.

Sickness, doesn’t shoot.
Guns do.

— Manda Posthumously ⛸ (@ShutUpAmanda) May 21, 2018

https://twitter.com/VA_Amilyn_Holdo/status/998248830540775426

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/998229008331542529

Dear Ollie North:

The rest of the world has Ritalin, violent video games, less police, liberal media, bad parents, mental illness and just as many doors.

What they don’t have is school shootings, the @NRA and the dumbest gun laws on earth. Try again.

— Steve Redmond (@sjredmond) May 21, 2018

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders and affects about 5 percent of children, though other studies have found this number to be slightly higher. Among children with ADHD, 62 percent take medication for it. The CDC recommends children under the age of 6 undergo behavioral treatment and not use medication, but those over the age of 6 may benefit from a combination of both.