Once again, as it seems to be a reoccurring event, there has been another mass shooting. This time at a Florida school. This time 17 fatalities. Previously, after mass shooting attacks, supporters of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the 2nd amendment to the United States Constitution have shied away from discussing any major changes to gun regulation, even in the wake of tragedies such as Sandy Hook. It’s almost as if the lives of the victims didn’t matter as much as the desire for the living to have a gun…to kill. In fact, one of Trump’s first presidential acts was to overturn the regulation that would prevent people with severe mental health issues from purchasing guns (read more).
After the shooting in Las Vegas and the church shooting in Texas, Trump has had to walk back what now seems to be a hasty decision to nullify previous gun regulations. He’s gone as far as referring to shooters as having “a mental health problem at the highest level”. So now….without having to totally denounce guns, the blame has to be placed somewhere. Unfortunately, that blame is being shifted to mental health issues (Trump Focuses on Mental Health over Guns). I worry that highlighting mental health as a primary reason someone will wrongfully use guns to kill innocent people is going to only increase the already negative stigma some people have with mental health.
Clearly anyone who goes into a public place prepared to randomly shoot multiple people is not mentally well. But not all people who have mental illness are capable of committing such a crime. The fact of the matter is that most people who have mental health issues aren’t under the care of a doctor. Why? Because they’ve never been to a doctor to get diagnosed. The National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI) quotes research stating that, “Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.”
In order to make future gun regulations involving mental health more equitable, everyone who wants to purchase a gun should be cleared by a licensed psychiatrist. People with mental health issues shouldn’t become targets in helping to reform gun control. Rather, the government should address the entire issue of mental health by screening everyone before a gun is purchased. I fear the regulations will only restrict guns to the already diagnosed, and that this might prohibit people from going to the doctor to seek care. And, that if everyone is not screened, a potential sociopath might be able to purchase a gun because of a simply lack of diagnosis.
People who support mental health awareness and education already have to fight so many stereotypes. Adding to the perception that all mental health patients are potential killers only highlights the almost inerasable stigma. This is an incredibly vast topic with many layers. I believe that eventually, the United States will have better gun regulation. Until then, we should continuing to advocate for people with mental illness, and press on together.