While we have a general rule to avoid politics, the following is NOT a political or ideological point, but to bring attention to a problem that is NOT being addressed.
While I believe all the attention has been steered towards guns, there is an important issue that we must all think about, the mental illness.
In the 1980s the Federal and State governments cut almost all the money that was used to run both federal and state run mental facilities. By the 1990s over 95% of state and federal run mental institutions closed, due to lack of funding. Many of these people were a danger to themselves or others. Where are they now and where do the current people with mental issues go?
This mass shootings and stabbings usually have one thing in common, the person that committed the horrible crime has serious mental issues. In many cases the parents can afford private mental facilities (because state and federal ones are closed) and they do try to take care of them at home or they become homeless.
So why no attention to the mental illness in this country? My opinion is simple, they don't vote, they don't have a union, they don't lobby, they don't contribute to campaigns, they are the forgotten and the silent problem in this nation. Politicians currency is votes and campaign contributions, there is no voice, money, or voting power among the mentally ill - they are the forgotten.
The discussion about how we as a society choose to deal with the mentally ill is just as important as any discussion about gun control, yet the media and politicans are laser focused on guns.
In China only a couple of days before the shooting, a Chinese man stood in front of an elementary school with a knife and stabbed 22 children (no gun - a knife), clearly mentally ill.
In Russia last year a man entered a school with a bat and hit over 18 children killing 3 (no gun - a bat), clearly mentally ill.
Are we to ban knifes, bats, and anything that could be a weapon OR do we start realizing that we DO have a problem and a societal responsibility to not only protect our children but deal with the mentally ill in our nation?
This is just something we need to think about and in no way do I wish to detract from the horrible crime that was committed, my thoughts are with those families who lost their love ones.
Here are two interesting articles worth reading:
Chinese Man Stabs 22 kids
Gun Control and unlikely outcome
