From my understanding, the problem is, the mental healthcare system is ridiculously broken and underfunded (just what I've been told). There are a good number of people who should be adjudicated and accepted into mental institutions for treatment and or safe keeping, but are rejected or are simply brought in, kept there for x period of time, and then released. Some of these individuals are just as broken as they were when they went in.
Now I'm no expert on the subject, and this is all here say, so don't take what I say as the gospel. But the biggest issue I see is that when we delve into the world of mental health, things get murky, fast! I'd much rather legislation being put into effect that allocates more money to the research and development of new techniques to diagnose and treat/cure such ailments. As it stands right now, medical practitioners simply do not have enough data on how to properly treat those who suffer from mental disorders. We walk a fine line for those who are truly dangerous to themselves and others and those who function just fine and only need some medication and some basic assistance from a physician.
It's a heated and touchy topic, and truth be told, we really don't know a whole lot about the subject in the grand scheme of things.
On the topic of gun rights, with all due respect, stating that we would rather violence to go on just to keep our firearms is terribly foolish IMHO. If anything, the vast majority would rather it stop, but the fact of the matter is, the laws and legislation that is being proposed will do absolutely nothing to stop someone who is determined to commit a crime.
Laws only affect the law abiding, every person must make a conscious and moral decision to ignore that law, there is nothing out there that will make you follow that law except YOU.
If we want to try and lower crime, we should first take a look at society, and how we've grown over the past few decades. Guns were never the problem, they were always there in fact. Ask yourself why is it, back in the 50's and 60's when we had high action gun slinging cowboys shooting up saloons and robbing trains that we didn't have the issues that we have today with mass murders etc. We had just as much access to an assortment of firearms back then than we do now (more in fact if memory serves). Fast forward to now, and we now have stabbings and all sorts of horrible tragedies occurring (though far between).
What happened? Is it guns are more accessable? No, they've always been there, they never left. So what changed? I'll tell you what changed, social and moral decay.
Lets face it, I was born in 1980's, I watched it happen, hell I was a part of the newer generation. Children of my generation grew up with the TV as their guardians, parents that were too scared to actually discipline their child for fear of "traumatizing" them, or that they would grow up to hate them.
Kids that learn zero respect for what is right and wrong, or about what their actions will do to another person. This has been going on for generations long before mine, but it's evident now that our society is very sick.
We have a generation of self entitled freeloaders that only care about what they can get, without any qualms about who else will suffer so long as they get what is theirs. A society that is centered around "me". This is not something that we'll fix over night, not in a year, not even several decades.
I recognize that I am far from perfect, society even more so, but what needs to change is the mind set of the people, one person at a time. Until we recognize the fact that the people of this world appear to be going morally bankrupt, then we'll continue down this dark path where more and more families are raising children in broken homes and those children grow up to become very messed up individuals. (I should know, I was one of them!)
I am on the side that guns are a tool, they have no morality, no reasoning, nor a desire to do anything. It is the person behind the tool that has to make the decision to pull the trigger, if I could stop all the crime in the world, so that no parent would ever have to go through the sorrow of losing a loved one to violent nut jobs by turning in my AR15, I would do it in a heart beat. however, the sad fact is, we do not live in Equestria, where everything is sunshine with pastel coloured ponies with cutie marks and butterflies.
Reality is, you cannot legislate morality, and few criminals go through legal channels to begin with let alone these nut jobs that go and shoot up elementary schools (Adam Lanza stole his mothers legally owned firearms, he was willing to kill her for them, so ultimately, the background checks would have done nothing to stop someone with so much evil in their heart).
That's me $20's worth on the topic.
) that we would rather all of the violent crimes continue to happen, than live without them. It's a moral dilemma that I face.
