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In reply to the discussion: Why are people buying the line that this was driven primarily mental illness [View all]Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)95. whether or not he met the legal and technical definition of insanity is one thing - but of course he
was stark raving nuts. There is absolutely nothing within the hierarchy of needs that would lead a person of otherwise sound mind to shoot up a kindergarten class and kill more than 20 little children. It is a bit silly to suggest that he might have been of sound mind and he was just a nasty person making bad decisions - give me a break.
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Why are people buying the line that this was driven primarily mental illness [View all]
Pretzel_Warrior
Dec 2012
OP
Sane men rape, torture and kill children every day. There's a diff. between insanity & something
Honeycombe8
Dec 2012
#72
They can be sane, and they often are. So say the court appointed psychiatrists.
Honeycombe8
Dec 2012
#75
"Insanity" in the world, generally, differs from insanity defense in a courtroom.
elleng
Dec 2012
#84
It's hard for me to believe that anybody could look at a child and then shoot them
Jamastiene
Dec 2012
#110
At the time of that post, I hadn't realized how easily these over-the-counter death machines
valerief
Jan 2013
#148
I agree elleng, oddly though depending on the circumstances and crime
Puzzledtraveller
Dec 2012
#126
This isn't an either/or situation. We need gun control *and* more mental health surveillance.
reformist2
Dec 2012
#5
Makes sense. I think some people confuse "mental problems" with "insanity." 2 diff. things.
Honeycombe8
Dec 2012
#82
Because it's a convenient scapegoat population that has enough trouble protecting itself. (nt)
Posteritatis
Dec 2012
#9
+1. Its NRA framing to deflect attention from the real problem - the guns.
riderinthestorm
Dec 2012
#15
Eh, it's not just an NRA thing. People in general are pretty damned ignorant on the topic.
Posteritatis
Dec 2012
#19
I agree most mentally ill people are non-violent, but so are most gun-owners.
HooptieWagon
Dec 2012
#47
Oh but I believe this is precisely the point: is a "right" to live greater than your right to guns?
riderinthestorm
Dec 2012
#50
Except that, yes, most of the discussions *do* open it up to "all forms of mental illness."
Posteritatis
Dec 2012
#137
Time to call their bluff and say we need to discuss mental illness *and* gun control!
reformist2
Dec 2012
#14
No we need to get the guns under control independent of any other discussion.
Warren Stupidity
Dec 2012
#16
To be truthful, we don't have any answers on that. But stigmatizing the mentally ill by association
riderinthestorm
Dec 2012
#39
No. I am stating explicitly this a deliberate deflection from the obvious problem with gun control.
Warren Stupidity
Dec 2012
#109
Maybe. In a court of law, sanity is not defined by a Dx of mental illness or not.
MichiganVote
Dec 2012
#20
Correct. Which is especially sad, them co-opting the subject. Because it is a REAL issue
kestrel91316
Dec 2012
#55
You are right. Sane people commit horrible acts all the time. Was Hitler insane?
Walk away
Dec 2012
#25
I think this act deserves its own special category of the criminally insane.
Old and In the Way
Dec 2012
#32
I am not sure if that is the case, however, it is in human nature to try and rationalize the
still_one
Dec 2012
#35
...Because its easy to scapegoat a group that really doesn't have a voice.
etherealtruth
Dec 2012
#40
It may be one of their weapons but it doesn't mean it doesn't merit attention.
Live and Learn
Dec 2012
#65
We can turn that around - 99.9% of the mentally ill won't shoot anyone either.
riderinthestorm
Dec 2012
#46
Gun owners can have all the guns they want. They just can't be reckless with them.
kestrel91316
Dec 2012
#56
Hmm, let's balance their "hobby" vs "a person's life" when it comes to restrictions
riderinthestorm
Dec 2012
#57
Many, many sane German Wermacht committed mass killing against unarmed civilians
LanternWaste
Dec 2012
#134
Mental problems played a role, but those guns were not stored securely by their owner.
kestrel91316
Dec 2012
#54
The 2 things aren't mutually exclusive. One is the CAUSE, the other is the METHOD of violence.
Honeycombe8
Dec 2012
#71
no. I joined to have a conversation about a lot of things. but this spurred me to join. An
Pretzel_Warrior
Dec 2012
#94
whether or not he met the legal and technical definition of insanity is one thing - but of course he
Douglas Carpenter
Dec 2012
#95
This society was perfectly willing to invade and occupy a country (Iraq) under
coalition_unwilling
Dec 2012
#97
Aspergers is an autism spectrum disorder. 299.00 Autism is listed in the 2000 revision
HereSince1628
Dec 2012
#103
Yes, I know quite well what it is, but I don't know that that qualifies as a mental "illness"
OrwellwasRight
Dec 2012
#135
The reason it has a diagnostic code is because it's recognized as a disorder.
HereSince1628
Dec 2012
#138
Ironically, much aggressive violence against others by the mentally _IS_ reactive defense
HereSince1628
Dec 2012
#108
Because people are looking for any scapegoat they can find. It is misplaced aggression.
Jamastiene
Dec 2012
#104
Horrible events like the school shootings seem to create a need for mental help
Jamastiene
Dec 2012
#117
Anyone that shoots a bunch of kids in cold blood is insane. Non-debatable statement.
Zorra
Dec 2012
#105
It would be great if society could operationalize that certainty so that it becomes
HereSince1628
Dec 2012
#113
you aren't seriously suggesting that there wasn't mental illness in the case.
librechik
Dec 2012
#124
Because Big Pharma pays the corporate media a lot of money to divert attention
No Compromise
Dec 2012
#125