As American gun violence unfolds, Republican Party candidates continue to cite mental illness as the primary cause of mass shootings in America. The Republican Party, namely the candidates for the 2016 election, believe the mentally ill should not be able to purchase guns. They often argue that mass shootings are committed by people who are mentally ill and, therefore, guns are not the problem—the mentally ill are.
Republican hopeful Donald Trump stated in an interview with Meet the Press, “Guns, no guns, doesn’t matter. You have people that are mentally ill and they’re going to come through the cracks and they’re going to do things that people will not even believe are possible.”
Trump and his rivals seem to believe if we can prevent mentally ill people from purchasing guns, we can prevent gun violence. Yet these same politicians have consistently voted to cut funding for mental health treatment in America.
According to the Daily Kos, just on Dec. 4, 2015, another amendment offering to improve mental health treatment was struck down, 52 to 47, with only two Republicans in favor. The Republicans seem to contradict themselves by arguing that mental illness is the problem and then voting against efforts to fix it.
However, Democrats are trying to tackle the issue from both sides by proposing reforms in both mental health care and gun control laws. Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders stated on “Face the Nation” that a revolution in mental health is required immediately in the United States.
“That revolution is about making sure that the many thousands of people who are walking the streets of America today who are suicidal or homicidal get the help they need, and they get it now, not two months from now,” Sanders said.
Guns alone are not the problem and mental illness alone is not the problem. The problem is the lack of political candidates’ abilities to address the crises of gun violence and mental illness simultaneously and efficiently. Perhaps this reform can begin by altering our own perceptions on this difficult and pressing issue.
Additionally, President Obama gave an Address to the Nation on Dec. 6 in which he called for immediate action on gun control laws—specifically calling for efforts to make it harder for anyone in our country to purchase assault rifles.
“The fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies—no matter how effective they are—cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIS or some other hateful ideology. What we can do—and must do—is make it harder for them to kill,” stated President Obama.
We cannot leave gun control laws as they stand now. When assault rifles become increasingly prevalent in today’s society, we have a problem. We cannot leave mental health treatment as inadequate as it stands now. When any one person feels suicidal or homicidal and cannot get help, we have a problem. When our nation averages more than one shooting every day, we have a problem.
The only way to stop the gun violence in America is to take this two-part approach of strengthening gun control laws, for all people, and for improving mental health services, for all people. After all, aren’t we all just that—people?
Maggie Stacey
Staff Writer