Gun Owners vs the Insane
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:24 am
My wife is a social worker who has worked with the mentally ill, so she is familiar with both guns and the insane - fortunately in different populations.
A couple decades ago, the US basically emptied the asylums - let the inmates out onto the street. Partly to save money and party due to a concern for the rights of the inmates. Current laws go overboard (IMO) to protect the rights of the mentally ill vs those of the rest of us. The mentally ill cannot be confined against their will unless they actually commit a crime - planning a murder, talking about it, telling the therapist, etc, do not allow the patient to be confined. In some states, even warning the victim can land the therapist in jail for a privacy violation.
The big increase in the "homeless" a few years back was one result, and the mass shootings are another.
As a result, the gun community takes the heat for the the acts of the crazy. Politicians have no interest in fixing this - they would have to pay for the asylums, and they would lose a lever to ban guns.
Write your congressman!
A couple decades ago, the US basically emptied the asylums - let the inmates out onto the street. Partly to save money and party due to a concern for the rights of the inmates. Current laws go overboard (IMO) to protect the rights of the mentally ill vs those of the rest of us. The mentally ill cannot be confined against their will unless they actually commit a crime - planning a murder, talking about it, telling the therapist, etc, do not allow the patient to be confined. In some states, even warning the victim can land the therapist in jail for a privacy violation.
The big increase in the "homeless" a few years back was one result, and the mass shootings are another.
As a result, the gun community takes the heat for the the acts of the crazy. Politicians have no interest in fixing this - they would have to pay for the asylums, and they would lose a lever to ban guns.
Write your congressman!