Gun Control And Crazy People

 

There's been a lot of talk about gun control after the school shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary, in Connecticut on Friday. That doesn't surprise, and I suppose it's okay to have a national discussion about gun control, but what about the people who commit crimes with guns? Especially young people who shoot children at school......has anyone looked at the statistics concerning them? The vast majority of offenders in mass shootings in this country over the last twenty years had been diagnosed with severe psychiatric disorders, requiring antipsychotic drugs, BEFORE their shooting rampages. What's wrong with recognizing the problem of psychosis for what it is, and telling people who are diagnosibly unstable that they cannot buy or have access to weapons? And what's wrong with holding parents responsible when they do get weapons? And why have insurance companies and states made such deep cuts into programs that provide mental health care options for vulnerable people within the population? And finally, if someone is a threat or a menace to other people, why can't they be permanantly institutionalized? In Adam Lanza's case, the diagnosis and the warning signs are reported to have been present. His mother made a grave error in allowing him to handle her weapons.