It's more of a mental health issue than a gun issue

[In It to Win It]

I read an article recently about the senator from Wyoming discussing that she was surprised to hear reactions from her constituents calling for stricter gun measures. This reaction came after she said that the people of Wyoming would not go for stricter gun regulations. She also says that she believes it's more of a mental health problem more than a gun problem.

A response like that tells me they're not serious. That's bullshit. I see the bullshit. They're trying to make me think I'm crazy.

I, and I'm sure many of us, have heard this same line from many other Republicans. It seems like they mostly agree that it is a mental health issue and not a gun issue.

Let's assume I agree with that position. Let's start there. Ok, what are they willing to do to keep guns out of the hands of people with poor mental health?

I'm sure the response I will get it is "--------------------------------------------------" *crickets*, absolutely nothing.

If they believe it is poor mental health, start there. Put that belief to the test.

[ck4829]

1. The functionalism is in blaming mental illness and doing nothing about it

"Mental illness" is a way to 'other' someone, it's always someone else who is mentally ill, us vs them, they can't be mentally ill, and it's not just the dog telling you to burn things or believing you're God, you know what "mental illness", the WHOLE scope of mental illness is to the right, right?

It's deviance, according to them - what they term deviance. You've seen it, no doubt. Sexual orientations other than heterosexuality? Mental illness. Gender identity being not cis? Mental illness. Saying that Trump is a liar? Mental illness.

[Model35mech]

9. The comeback to that is... Oh? WHICH mental illness?

And they usually don't have one.

Blaming mental illness for murders is like calling anything you can't get your head around CRAZY.

The fault with that thinking is two-fold first it's a lack of education about mental disorders, and second, it's a lack of imagination to see potential alternative causes.

But there are other perspectives...


A firearm is also tool, which can be used for various purposes... recreation, hunting, self-defense, national-defense, pumping up an adrenal rush, intimidation facilitating a crime, terrorism etc.

When viewed as a tool, a gun in use can certainly be an aid in of choice to the solution of a perceived problem. Our major issue is that our 'experts' don't really communicate much with us about what the uses are. Most mass shooters/mass murders end up dead. Friends and family who actually want to disassociate with the shooter are the sources of the narratives spun to support that retreat. The media in turn spins those narratives stressing the notion that it's about socially misfit loners and people who acted 'strangely'.

It may be that some of them are loners, and wierdos, but it's also rather quite likely that many are not. What's pretty clear is the shooters are people with a problem to solve and to them the gun looks like a tool to address that problem.

There is no suspicion that soldiers killing the enemy are mentally ill or that Police shooting violent criminals are mentally ill. A terrorist is a person trying to make a political point. Vengeance for workplace bullying doesn't require a crazed mind, just being pissed off enough to act outside the box for what's acceptable.

[Walleye]

2. The Republicans in Congress should have their own mental health checked.They may be onto something

[milestogo]

3. Can we really blame a gun-worshipping culture on mental health?

Clearly, some of the mass shooters of the recent past would have been diagnosed as dangerous if their families had brought them to a psychiatrist for a mental health evaluation. But just because someone has a diagnosis doesn't mean you can prevent them from getting a hold of a gun.

Most of the mass shooters are angry young men. There are lots of group full of angry young men (and even older men and some women) that promote violence. Those groups have a right to exist, to hate others, and to have guns.

Families do not report the bad behavior of other family members. I know a family where the older teenage son pinned his younger brother to the garage with a car, breaking both his legs. But the family did not want him to get in trouble or to have the police involved. So everyone, including the victim, said it was an accident.

Guess what - he went on to become a violent criminal. He was in prison, last I heard.

[In It to Win It]

4. We can't blame it on mental health at all

That's why its bullshit.

They blame it on mental health but they also don't offer any help on the issue of mental health.

They won't do anything about the guns. Then when a shooting happens, they blame mental health and then don't do anything about the mental health.

[Novara]

5. The mentally ill are more likely to be victims of gun violence than perpetrators

Besides, a crazy person with a knife is going to kill a lot fewer people than a crazy person with a fucking assault weapon.

Are they ready to fund comprehensive mental health care for all people, starting in the schools, continuing through college, and well into adulthood? No? Then shut the fuck up.

[Initech]

6. The real problem is making it easier for anyone to get a gun...

Under the guise of "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!!!!!1!!!!1!". And then when things go wrong, using any scapegoat they can possibly find to blame anything but their precious, precious guns. And then doing nothing about it and making things worse in the process. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[relayerbob]

7. It starts with the mental health, or lack thereof

of government officials who allow this shit to go on.

[maxsolomon]

8. Anger isn't Mental Illness.

What most shooters have is a surfeit of anger - because they're males and explosive violence is in our nature. A gun is a tool that makes explosive violence easy and convenient.

[H2O Man]

10. Recommended.

It is not a serious idea on their part.

[LeftInTX]

15. Exactly....

[twodogsbarking]

11. It is a moral illness.

[minstrel76]

12. Sure, for the sake of argument, let's assume it's a mental health issue.

Therefore, are Republicans willing to vote to drastically expand mental health care in the U.S.?

Hint: They're about as willing to do that as they are to vote to drastically expand welfare to assist the women whose unwanted pregnancies they'll force to be carried to term.

[Javaman]

13. You took the words out of my mouth. if it's a mental "health issue", call the repukes bluff and

demand psych examinations for any gun owner or potential gun owners

[LeftInTX]

14. Exactly....

Actually for mass shootings, it is usually mental health, but dealing with it would infringe on "gun rights" more than an assault weapons ban.