Of course, it turns out the case DSnowth was talking about was probably terrorism related (didn't hear much else about it). I don't think that mental health plays a huge role in all gun crime around here. Especially since there's a crapload of gang violence in one very specific Boston neighborhood that everyone's been trying to stop for years to absolutely no avail, and it seems they've just given up and accepted it. But that's another rant for another day.
But I hate how some politicians on the right bring up the topic of mental health to sway the gun control conversation (essentially being right for the wrong reasons) only to be budget slash happy and shutting down facilities to let dangerously insane individuals on the streets. That and their moral superiority at the risk of substance drug legislation from the 80's that turned South America into a cartel paradise forcing kids to have to crawl through the borders, only to have them disgustingly vilified. That kind of Catch 22 shortsightedness is why we keep going into the Middle East and fighting the same terrorist organizations we keep creating after fighting the previous one. We need long term solutions to these big moral quandaries and we can't do a darn thing about it because some rich waste of human life buys the government with a bunch of bottom feeding lobbyists. Not to mention the overpaid fatheads on radio and television who are clearly getting the same lobbyist money demagogging the heck out of easily scared and manipulated types.
We can't do anything about Mental health because no one wants to pay for it. We can't do anything about guns because the NRA, gun culture, and a microscopic vocal bunch of insane Doomsday preppers and Constitutional literalists that horde guns because they think the gumment is taking them away so they won't be able to horde guns to fight the gumment when they take them away. We can't do anything worthwhile about drugs because anything that isn't an easy, clumsy solution would take time, effort, and concessions.... not money, because anything treating addiction would be a LOT cheaper than locking minor offenders up and spending a fortune seizing small amounts of them that the dealers make up by jacking the price up. We can't do anything about getting kids healthy meals in schools because they don't want to eat them and no one wants to pay for a food service (or break a backroom deal contract with current ones) that cooks them properly. Everything we desperately need is evil gumment overreach, but oh great and powerful US government! Protect us from gay people we don't know getting married! So much disgusting entitlement and childishness. Those who whine about "entitlements" are the most entitled sacks of crap there are.
We have the power and culture to change and fix things, some on our own without the need of the government. No one wants to because if they examine themselves, they won't like what they're seeing. It's easier and more to their advantage to play the victim then to grow up, move on, suck it up, and just deal.