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Hal Brown is a retired psychotherapist and clinical social worker who now writes A Beta Brain, a daily Substack examining the intersection of politics and psychology. He previously wrote for Capitol Hill Blue and served for 20 years as a reserve police officer. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and his commentary has been republished by LA Progressive.
SHARE Monday, August 24, 2026 The Supreme Court Can Rule on AR-15s. It Can't Disarm America. The ban might save lives. It won't disarm America.
The article argues that America's gun problem will not be solved by another round of modest reforms because the underlying problem is the country's extraordinary attachment to firearms and the constitutional protection that sustains it. The Second Amendment, written for a very different society, has become a barrier to treating gun ownership as a matter of public safety rather than an almost untouchable individual right.
SHARE Thursday, August 20, 2026 Trump's Superpower is Shamelessness
A retired psychotherapist examines the difference between shame and guilt""and why Donald Trump's apparent inability to experience either functions as a political superpower. His shamelessness frees him to violate norms, evade responsibility and see himself as blameless regardless of the harm he causes.