Yes and no. Americans are crazier than most but still: Now let's talk about guns: It's simplistic to say either/or. Fact of the matter is, when you marinate in guns you see guns as viable solutions to problems. Doesn't mean the problems aren't real, but it does mean that in places without guns, gun violence is a less prevalent approach. Should we place more emphasis on mental health? Absolutely. Should we insist that we do something about mental health before addressing the prevalence of gun violence in the United States through gun control? I don't think so. I think there are at least two fronts to the fight and the resources for each are different. Yeah, I get why militias are important and I'm a big fan of civil liberties but it's always struck me as weird that I needed $25, a driver's license and a 4-part form in order to pull a trout out of a lake but it only cost me $59 to buy a chinese assault rifle and the dude didn't so much as check ID.
You hit the nail on the head here. There needs to be a two-pronged approach to this sort of thing. Mental health issues are abundant, that's without a doubt true; but it also true that having access to a lot of weaponry and having those mental problems means that a lot of people die. Needlessly. It is frustrating to see it happen, again and again and again...
Well, seeing as how you can't legally purchase a gun if you have a clinical history of mental health problems, closing both the individual sale and gun show loopholes could go a long way. Also, going further, we could also do more to encourage the purchasing of gun safes, trigger locks, etc. to prevent people from taking firearms that don't belong to them and committing crimes.
Yep. Never did buy a piece. But damn, if Texas's marinade isn't thick and smelly. Edit: sorry for the link quality, audio in particular ;)