Do we need a ban on mental illness?

[MobBoss]

Given the tragic news today of yet another shooting, this time at a childrens school, i'm sure we all expect the plethora of 'we need more gun control' stories, posts and articles.

However, another commonality that isnt discussed nearly as much as the guns involved is the mental status of those actually pulling the trigger.

In todays case, the brother of the assailant told police that the shooter had a history of mental illness. And apparently the guns used to carry this out were legally purchased and licensed to the mother of the shooter.

Thus my question heading this thread is this: do we need harsher rules concerning mental illness? Point being, its rather hard for a person to get a weapon and kill people while they are in a mental hospital.

And this individual is hardly alone as being a violent multiple shooting murderer with a history of mental illness. It seems to be quite the common theme in these type of situations.

Discuss.

 

[Glassfan]

Naw, I'd rather get sidetracked and bogged-down in the usual gun-control rants.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It would be easier and less rights 'destructive' to ban guns.

 

[emzie]

Oh go shove a shotgun up your ass.

 

[KMRblue1027]

What are you defining as mentally unstable? Anti-social personality disorder? Bipolar? Until we draw some ground here there is no argument.

 

[MobBoss]

It would be easier and less rights 'destructive' to ban guns.

I actually disagree with you here. That would be like trying to ban alcohol during prohibition. It aint going to work.

What are you defining as mentally unstable? Anti-social personality disorder? Bipolar? Until we draw some ground here there is no argument.

How about whatever was affecting the person who just killed 20 kids today? That'd do for a start.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

His whole point is to troll the gun control croud with this pitiful excuse for a troll thread. Surely you can do better than this MobBoss.

 

[downtown]

A discussion of how to stop mass murders must include an actual discussion about mental illness. Having more clinics and restructuring insurance plans to allow for more coverage of mental health services might be a good start.

Finding a way to stop crazy people from buying or having access to firearms would be another good place to start.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I actually disagree with you here. That would be like trying to ban alcohol during prohibition. It aint going to work.

I find the notion of throwing all the 'crazies' in jail or hosptials to be harder than taking you guns and also an act that would trample on far more rights than just the second ammendment.

 

[JohnRM]

A discussion of how to stop mass murders must include an actual discussion about mental illness. Having more clinics and restructuring insurance plans to allow for more coverage of mental health services might be a good start.

Sorry. It isn't profitable to keep our kids safe.

 

[Synobun]

This is in really bad taste, Mob.

 

[BvBPL]

"Mental illness" is too broad a category to provide a single justification to ban guns. Consider that we might want to ban a psychopath from having guns because it could result in harm to others, and a depressive from having guns because it could result in harm to herself.

But what about a person with an obsessive personality complex? Or some with deep-seated and debilitating phobias? If we assume that a person has a right to own a gun unless demonstrable proven to the contrary then on what grounds would we deny them their rights?

It isn't helpful to talk about removing rights from the mentally ill in the abstract when the particulars of mental illness vary so much from disorder to disorder and from person to person.

 

[MobBoss]

His whole point is to troll the gun control croud with this pitiful excuse for a troll thread. Surely you can do better than this MobBoss.

This isnt a troll thread. I'm actually quite serious about this.

A history of mental illness is a very common theme amongst those engaging in these types of mass killings.

What is wrong with recognizing that and actually having a frank discussion about it?

 

[warpus]

What a shameful thread at this great time of tragedy...

Instead of banning mental illness I propose instead that we ban stupidity and evil.

 

[Cutlass]

We might just try making mental health services available to everyone.

 

[emzie]

Yes, addressing mental illness and how our society deals with it would be a good idea. It shouldn't take tragedies to convince anyone of this.

I'm surprised mobby is in favour of government healthcare though.

 

[Glassfan]

Knife attack at Chinese school wounds 22 children

This also happened today. The American story gets the big headlines, but schools, teachers and children around the world are being attacked - virtually none by guns. It's too easy to get bogged down by one American media frenzy.

 

[JohnRM]

We might just try making mental health services available to everyone.

I fail to see how this will increase profits.

 

[MobBoss]

A discussion of how to stop mass murders must include an actual discussion about mental illness. Having more clinics and restructuring insurance plans to allow for more coverage of mental health services might be a good start.

Finding a way to stop crazy people from buying or having access to firearms would be another good place to start.

And this is exactly my point. Our nations rules concerning the mentally ill and potentially violent are severely lacking.

 

[Synobun]

I fail to see how this will increase profits.

Can't have that evil socialism in great USA #1.