That Other Issue | RedState:
The issue we are not talking about is mental health. The number of people who descend into drugs, crime, and violent episodes because of mental health issues is significant. Each of the monsters who perpetrated mass shootings in the past several years had mental health issues.
To raise it is to be accused of changing the subject. But it should be the subject. There are 300 million guns in this country. The only people engaged in mass shootings have had serious mental health issues. If we must consider what has largely been a nonsensical conversation on guns, can we at least multitask and talk about mental health as well.
There are plenty of Americans who could be productive members of society if we intervened before they got into the justice system. There are many parents who fear for their lives because of a mentally unstable child whose only present hope is that their child commits a crime that gets them into the system. The parents just pray it is not a crime against them.
The urge to “just do something” may seem easier when applied to guns, but focusing on mental health is a far better focus.
My last criminal client was a statistic. Her entered the system because of crime. Only then were her mental issues addressed. No person should be just a statistic. And some people do need help from society. We should not let the gun debate, yet again, get this issue ignored.