No offense, but these are platitudes and bromides. If you have a specific gun control mental health measure to suggest, or want to discuss somebody else's specific proposal, let's do that. Anybody can say "let's all work together for sensible gun control" "let's all work together for sensible ways to address mental health." It's the specific policy that actually requires some thought even one iota of intent to actually address mental health. And it is particularly hard to make such a proposal in the wake of this tragedy before we have any idea what weapons he used or how he got them because conservatives don't actually give a crap about addressing mental health, they just want a way to deflect from the fact that they're okay with mass shootings if they can still hold big guns that make them feel like their dicks are less small.
fyp
i agree with you that mental health is often the underlying problem, and will continue being the underlying problem no matter what new gun laws are passed. But I think it's unfair to say that conservatives don't really care about mental health. What do you want to do about it? Dramatically increase the number of involuntary commitments? Sounds like you've got the answer to these problems, so by all means share what we should do if only for those jerkface republicans.
I am far from having any solutions on addressing mental health, as I am neither a policy maker nor a mental health professional. I am, however perceptive enough to see that this same discussion plays out after every single one of these things: despondent cries of anguish arise from people who are desperate to get killing machines out of our country because they're not okay with 20 six year-olds being executed in their classrooms, or 49 people being executed in a club, or 59 people being executed at a concert. They suggest some sort of solution or another, or maybe just throw out a despondent statement about how gun culture in America is completely out of control.
Then, inevitably, that is met with this retort from the "NOPE SORRY" gun nut, who is unwilling to budge in any way whatsoever and whose real goal is to end the conversation before it can actually begin. They throw their hands up and say "NOPE, it would never work. And 2nd amendment! The only thing we can do is address mental health." And then, as always, they offer zero solutions whatsoever to begin addressing mental health. It's funny, it's almost like they don't really mean it and are really just trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility and need to give ground in a compromise on guns.
Here's the other thing I find funny about the NOPE SORRY, GOTTA BE MENTAL HEALTH INSTEAD gun nuts I've talked to about this: they talk as if it can only be one solution or another, as if it would be completely impossible to attempt two things at the same time. Yes, believe it or not, you
could actually address mental health issues in our country AND at the same time make mass murder machines illegal. This "one or the other" thing is either a function of their sad one-track minds, or is completely disingenuous and indicative their complete unwillingness to give any ground whatsoever in a gun debate.
Like I said, I don't know exactly what the right step forward is to better address mental health issues that plague America, but I know gutting health care is probably a terrible way for conservatives to make it seem like they're being genuine when they say they care about addressing it. And, as always, The Onion hits the nail on the head and pwns idiots and hypocrites:
http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/shooting-isnt-about-gun-control-we-refuse-pass-its-57095
