Mental illness should cause great concern

Americans stand for their right to bare arms, however some believe taking guns away will stop gun violence from occurring when it is not always the gun’s fault, it is sometimes mental illness.

Recent shootings such as the Lafayette theatre shooting and college campus shooting rampages bring up the idea of gun violence and the notion to have gun control. After a mass shooting occurs, media outlets and political beings only talk about banning guns when the real issue is mental illness.

According to the Kim Foundation and National Alliance on Mental Illness, an estimated 26.2 percent of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder and approximately 61.5 million experience mental illnesses in a given year. About 22 percent of mass murders suffer from clinical mental illnesses.

The Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was reportedly taking a drug that can cause sudden outbursts of violence. Although he was not diagnosed with a mental illness, he was deemed a racist and as wanting to start another race war.

The shooting that occurred a couple of months ago and 2 hours away in Lafayette was done by a man who was suffering from bipolar disorder. John Houser was at one time involuntarily committed for the illness and completely cut off contact with family members. Witnesses said Houser just started shooting out of nowhere.

In 2012 James Holmes decided to go to a theater in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire during the premiere of The Dark Knight. He killed 12 people, as well as injuring 70 others. According to psychologists, he was suffering from schizophrenia and was mentally ill. Last month he was sentenced to life in prison.

Mental illnesses are often overlooked or untreated due to health insurance and are never diagnosed.

Not all health insurance companies compensate for mental illnesses. Imagine the amount of people that cannot afford mental health treatment. Approximately 26 percent of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental health problems and 46 percent of them live with severe mental illnesses.

To be clear: if you have a mental illness, it does not mean you are a ticking time bomb. There are people that have problems but do not show signs of violent behavior. There is always a chance that someone could develop the behavior. Mental illnesses left untreated will create a problem and add to the woes and worry about whether or not it is safe to go to a movie theater.

Gun control can help the situation, but “the right to bare arms” is still in full effect. The phrase “guns kill people” comes to mind every time a mass shootings occur. Americans can exercise their right to have guns, but no one needs an AK47 in their closet. If there is act capable of preventing horrible situations like this from happening, Americans being aware of mental illness and how it affects society may be it. You don’t have to be mentally ill to kill a person, but you still have to be crazy enough to commit murder.