In an editorial, the New York Times (12/4, A30, Subscription Publication) says that a report on the Newtown shooting by Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate found that the mother of Adam Lanza failed to take appropriate action to treat her son’s mental illness. The report also “noted that severe mental illness is roughly stable around the world — schizophrenia, for example, occurs in one percent of developed countries — while gun violence varies.”
It also says in its summary that the “conclusion that access to guns drives shooting episodes far more than the presence of mental illness is inescapable. Those countries that have tight gun controls in general experience less overall gun violence and have fewer episodes per capita of mass shootings.” The Times says that shows that the “gun lobby” assertion that containing mental illness alone is enough is false.
Related Links:
— “Mental Illness and Guns at Newtown,” New York Times, December 3, 2014.