As the lights dim, the cameras stop rolling, and the media goes on to bigger and better stories, there are probably some who feel this thread has run its course, but I don't agree. Here's a link to an article in Emergency Management Magazine that talks about armed security guards in our schools, something already done in many schools across the country. The article discusses "low probability/high consequence" events like school shootings and other mass murders with a primary focus on school safety. It also recognizes that probability of occurrence will never be reduced to zero. That being said, there is no mention of eliminating gun free zones and/or arming school staff. It has been said that SROs are not a panacea. The article acknowledges that fact. School safety is a multi-faceted problematic issue. No single issue should be taken off the table, no single issue should be prevented from being on the table. They all deserve our attention and consideration, in my opinion.
When it comes to preventing active shooter attacks, the emphasis must be on stopping those who are mentally unstable from gaining access to weapons under any circumstances – at a store, gun-show or at home. An effective solution will require greater coordination between law enforcement, the mental health community, gun owners and dealers, and the general public.
Prevention must focus on spotting those with severe mental illness and sharing that information in a way that prevents access to guns, encourages, or in some cases forces treatment, all while preserving as much privacy as possible. This will not be easy and will likely pit privacy advocates against law enforcement, against gun owners, etc. However, we need a serious examination of how to make this work including a change in how we view, treat and discuss mental health, which may help reduce the stigma driving some of the privacy concerns in the first place.
I really wish who'd ever put this infographic together had actually compared the same years to each other, but it illustrates a point - that what we fear is often misplaced. And because of that misplaced fear, we focus on the wrong problems, and I'd guess, get knee-jerk, short-sighted solutions oftentimes.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
They just had a shooting in Switzerland, 3 died, others shot. The shooter was a older man on disability with mental issues who had lost his right to own guns years ago.
The Swiss are now investigating where the man got the older rifle and handgun. Might have been a private sale which are still legal. They don't expect any new laws to address the situation.
Steve Forbes in his magazine this week addressed the issue of mental illness and these shootings and he blames the lack of beds for mental health. Decades ago many of these people would have been voluntarily committed by family members but because of a few cases of abuses at facilities like "One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest", the public opinion went against facilities like this, plus they are expensive to maintain and states were looking to cut costs.
So the new model of medicating and releasing mental patients on the street took over.
Personally I have some real issues with families committing members but we might have to look at making more beds for mental health available. I got a chance to tour Fort Logan Mental Health facility a couple of times and really respect what the staff does for these difficult patients. They have an interesting work program that our company uses to assemble some of our easier products. Makes money for the institution and helps give the patients purpose.
I talked with one of the patients and he said his most difficult days are when he realizes he will never have a normal life of a wife and kids and having his freedom but he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
FredHayek wrote: They just had a shooting in Switzerland, 3 died, others shot. The shooter was a older man on disability with mental issues who had lost his right to own guns years ago.
The Swiss are now investigating where the man got the older rifle and handgun. Might have been a private sale which are still legal. They don't expect any new laws to address the situation.
Steve Forbes in his magazine this week addressed the issue of mental illness and these shootings and he blames the lack of beds for mental health. Decades ago many of these people would have been voluntarily committed by family members but because of a few cases of abuses at facilities like "One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest", the public opinion went against facilities like this, plus they are expensive to maintain and states were looking to cut costs.
So the new model of medicating and releasing mental patients on the street took over.
Personally I have some real issues with families committing members but we might have to look at making more beds for mental health available. I got a chance to tour Fort Logan Mental Health facility a couple of times and really respect what the staff does for these difficult patients. They have an interesting work program that our company uses to assemble some of our easier products. Makes money for the institution and helps give the patients purpose.
I talked with one of the patients and he said his most difficult days are when he realizes he will never have a normal life of a wife and kids and having his freedom but he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Fred - on the face of it, what you put out there would seem to be a "solution". To me, it's just one of many issues that must be addressed. I heard about the Swiss incident, but chose not to share it because of the controversy over the Swiss "model" for gun control that keeps getting promoted. Many European countries, including Switzerland, have stricter gun control laws in effect than here in the U.S. from what I've been reading.
The mental health issue is a very complex one. My first wife had serious mental illness. She was in and out of psychiatric treatment centers more than once on an "in-patient" and then in a "partial care" treatment regimen. Committing her to a mental institution wasn't even an option on the table until it was too late (she committed suicide), and even then, it would have been difficult.
Cost is only part of the issue in reopening institutions like you're talking about. Mis-diagnosis would be another. Mental illness presents in so many different forms (my first wife is a perfect example), we would also run the risk, if you will, of committing persons who could benefit from more conventional therapy and who would never harm anyone. I'm not saying it shouldn't be part of the conversation and consideration. All I am saying is nothing is as simple as it ever seems, in my opinion.
Z,
Like you, I have big issues with locking people up for life for mental illness, but it is also scary releasing people with mental issues on the street with a prescription and no way to determine if the medication is working and if the patient is taking it.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
FredHayek wrote: Z,
Like you, I have big issues with locking people up for life for mental illness, but it is also scary releasing people with mental issues on the street with a prescription and no way to determine if the medication is working and if the patient is taking it.
Absolutely! That is the only reason why I provided my first wife as an example. When she took her own life, she did it in a relatively crowded pawn shop. The opportunity presented itself for her to take out other customers along with herself. Thank God, she didn't do that. As I said, mental illness presents in so many different forms, it's problematic being able to determine definitively which people suffering from mental illness actually pose a threat to themselves, much less others. In my situation, I monitored her medication regimen and made sure she was taking her medications. That still did not prevent her from attempting suicide on two separate occasions, the second time being successful in the most violent manner possible to herself. I've been struggling with what she did ever since, and that's one of the reasons I'm even sharing this now. Again, nothing is as simple as it seems.
My mother had a friend/coworker who had a mentally ill son. When he was on his meds he was fine, but he'd start feeling good and decide he no longer needed the meds and of course cycle down. She worked for years to have him committed to various hospitals to no avail. He'd beat her up pretty badly. One night neighbors hearing the commotion called the cops. When they arrived she refused to sign a complaint and so nothing happened. She told my mom that as bad as it got she could never sign a complaint on her own child. She financially supported her son all her life, the rest of the family would have nothing to do with him because of his violent tendencies when he was off his meds. She passed away some years ago and I often wonder if I'll see his name in the news some day for something like this.
Adjudication is certainly a can of worms. I wonder if it can be done fairly and without political agenda. But something needs to be done. We currently just leave severly mentally ill patients live (such as it is) and die in the streets - but with their civil liberties intact.
On a side note, here's someone who actually makes some sense...
cydl wrote: My mother had a friend/coworker who had a mentally ill son. When he was on his meds he was fine, but he'd start feeling good and decide he no longer needed the meds and of course cycle down. She worked for years to have him committed to various hospitals to no avail. He'd beat her up pretty badly. One night neighbors hearing the commotion called the cops. When they arrived she refused to sign a complaint and so nothing happened. She told my mom that as bad as it got she could never sign a complaint on her own child. She financially supported her son all her life, the rest of the family would have nothing to do with him because of his violent tendencies when he was off his meds. She passed away some years ago and I often wonder if I'll see his name in the news some day for something like this.
Adjudication is certainly a can of worms. I wonder if it can be done fairly and without political agenda. But something needs to be done. We currently just leave severly mentally ill patients live (such as it is) and die in the streets - but with their civil liberties intact.
On a side note, here's someone who actually makes some sense...
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I agree that adjudication is a can of worms. I liken my experience with mental illness to that of a caregiver caring for a loved one with advanced Alzheimer's Disease only without the "safety net" of a nursing home or other type of live in care facility. My next step would have been to try to obtain "legal guardianship" of my first wife, and then to explore the possibility of having her admitted, at least temporarily, to the mental hospital in Pueblo. That didn't happen, of course, but my options were very limited otherwise.
Don't know if anyone might be interested, but I'm sharing a link to one of my blog posts that addresses what I, personally, went through trying to care for my first wife, Carla. There are other posts on my blog that deal with mental illness, as well, if you care to read them. My blog is a form of therapy for me. It is helping to motivate me to be more proactive in the area of enhancing safer schools, and, to me, that's a good thing. We don't always need to agree on things, but I believe we do need to be able to agree to disagree. Thanks.
(Edited to add): And one more thing, if any of you care to share your stories, your experiences, your advice for others on this blog, please do so. A major part of why I started it in the first place was to provide an opportunity to be able to share these things with each other in an effort to try to help each other heal.
