Gun Control & Mental Health

In light of the tragedy that struck Connecticut on Friday, people are once again yelling for gun control.  I really wish that these people would get it through their heads that guns do not kill people do.  Guns do not have minds of their own, therefore they can't say that they are going to kill someone or hurt them.  People on the other hand have minds and sometimes there are those that do think dark thoughts about killing and hurting others.  Gun control is not the answer, all that will do is make it harder for the those who wish to purchase them to use them for hunting or perhaps for protection.  Yes I do think that if one of the teachers had a concealed weapon, that perhaps not as many lives would have been lost.  I've read about countless people who have concealed weapons have saved the day by putting down a gunman and saving countless lives.  Those people in my mind are heroes.

When my cousin was murdered 21 years ago, by person using a gun, my family did not shout we need gun control, what we truly wanted was for the shooter to have justice served to him.

What needs to be done is have more information available about mental health, as it was obvious that the shooter on Connecticut had mental problems, as do most of those who do go on these shooting sprees and murders.  They have made it so hard now days to get the mentally ill help.  I know a man, who had to move out of his house because his wife is a paranoid schizophrenic.  He didn't move out because of the mental disease, he had to move out because she is refusing help and he began to fear for his safety.  There is nothing that this man can do, he has talked to countless people about getting her committed, and all he gets is that there is nothing that can be done until she is a harm to herself or others.  So basically she is a ticking time bomb and tragedy will probably strike in this small town, because she can't be forced into getting help.

I'm not saying that it should go back to the old days, where you could get anyone in your family committed just because you didn't like them.  What I'm saying is that those who have a parent, sister, kid, brother or other family member who is mentally ill should be able to have them committed so they can get the help they need.  I also think that insurance companies need to help pay for this as it is a sickness.  I think that there needs to be more awareness about mental illnesses and how to help someone who has one.