Turn on the television or open social media and the news of violence is everywhere. In today’s episode, we’re exploring violence, particularly gun violence, with two justice and public policy professors from our Ann Arbor campus. Tune in to hear their thoughts on where this violence originated, what’s perpetuating it today, and the role that guns play (or don’t play) in the midst of it all. 

Guest Appearances

Daniel Chlebos is an assistant professor in the Department of Justice and Public Policy at Concordia University Ann Arbor. Dan has an extensive background in law enforcement in Kenosha County, Wisconsin where he started out in patrol, moved up to investigations, and ultimately became the police chief. Today he continues to train law enforcement officers and consult for attorneys while teaching law enforcement/pre-law classes at CUAA and hosting the radio show Justice with Honor on 1290AM WLBY.

Frank Rubino is currently an adjunct professor at Concordia University Ann Arbor where he works alongside Daniel Chlebos in the Department of Justice and Public Policy as well as teaches several classes in the Department of Psychology. Following his career in law enforcement, Frank became a licensed clinical psychologist and opened a private practice in Michigan where he treats individuals struggling with substance abuse, trauma, addictive behaviors, and more.

Key Topics

• Are guns to blame when it comes to violence or does gun violence find its origin elsewhere? Are guns simply neutral tools defined by the hands that wield them or are they violent by nature? Listen in at 14:25 .  


• Is gun violence a political issue? Should it be? Our guests share why they think it’s a smokescreen for power. Listen in at 21:00 . 


• As a country, we’re obsessed with violence. Our movies and video games are filled with it, we gravitate toward news of it, etc. What role does this play in perpetuating the cycle of violence? Listen in, starting at 29:45 . 


• Is fatherlessness to blame for violent children and teens? Our guests share their opinions on the connection they see between fatherless homes and boys growing up to become violent. Listen in, starting at 34:00 . 


• Should schools have zero-tolerance policies or do those end up harming or putting students at a disadvantage more than they help or prevent violence? Listen in at 39:40 .

A Few Mentioned Items

• Justice with Honor radio show: catch the show on the first three Tuesdays of every month at 9:20 a.m. on 1290  AM WLBY.


• Frank Rubino’s clinical practice: learn more about him in his Psychology Today profile. 


• Johnson’s Great Society


• The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act


• Mass stabbing in China in March 2014


• Port Arthur Massacre in Australia; the mass shooting that changed Australia’s gun laws and the effects that the firearm ban has had in subsequent years


• A few quick facts about crime in the U.S., including the decline of violent crime 

Do you have thoughts, experiences, or opinions on our episode? We’d love to hear from you. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share your feedback on this episode.

Frank Rubino: You look at people who have power, and when you’re powerless, you want power. These young men are hurt, they’re angry. The big part is they’re alone. Isolation is one of the worst things that we can do to a human being. In fact, if you think about it, the greatest punishment next to execution that we have for people is solitary confinement. We know this is torturous to people, and this is what happens with our teenage boys. They are isolated from their families, from their communities, and I think this is what’s creating these young angry men. Most of the time, they’re turning that inward, drug abuse, suicide, etc. Sometimes, they turn it outward, and we wind up with these events.