General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is having the conversation about mental illness and horrendous violent crime stigmatizing? [View all]BainsBane
(53,001 posts)We assume they are disturbed because we can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing. But people do horrendous things, and many do not have diagnoses of a mental illness. You can be sure that if this boy had survived, an insanity defense would not have succeeded. We've heard all kids of things about this gun man and his family, most of which have been false, as was the case in the Columbine shootings. Naturally one assumes there must be something seriously wrong with anyone who could do something like this, but some are just psychopaths. I myself wonder what kind of paranoid delusions prompt some to believe they need to be armed at all times. I tend to think they are mentally disturbed (particularly when they engage on discussion boards of elaborate fantasies of pubic shoot outs), but absent a psychiatric exam one cannot know that. I've been part of a number of therapy groups over the years, and I never heard anyone talk about shooting others as some Gun fanatics do. And these are people least likely to seek treatment, which could potentially make them far more dangerous than those working to heal their illness.
Moreover, mass murders are a fraction of the killings that take place every year. Are you suggesting high numbers of child gun deaths don't count if they aren't on TV? Are you concerned with preventing violence or finding excuses not to do anything about guns? How do you suppose mass murders would get a hold of guns if they weren't so Readily available, if the NRA had not refuse to allow background checks for online and private sales?
Yes, better treatment of mental illness is important. But ignoring actual crime statistics in an effort to justify refusing to consider gun control is not only ineffective, it is immoral bigotry. Furthermore, it s counterproductive because increasing the stigma--Which s already tremendous--associated with mental illness will only keep people from seeking treatment. People who are a danger to themselves or others should not gave access to weapons, but to create a second class citizenship of 25% of the population-- mostly women--with mental illness not only violates equal protection, it ignores the key issue. A small percentage of murderers (about 2%) are mentally ill but 70% use guns. One's focus tells clearly if they are about curbing violence or are devoted to finding a scapegoat to justify their fetish for guns.
Better mental health care is part of the solution, but evidence clearly shows that easy access to highly dangerous weapons is the central component of high homicide rates.