On My Mind Part I: Gun Control and Mental Illness

For the past few weeks, some heavy thoughts have been weighing on my mind. Thoughts so heavy, in fact, in took me a while to decide if I wanted to write about them and then more time to decide how I wanted to write about them.

The topic of gun control and mental illness has been on my mind quite a bit since the tragic January 8 shooting in Arizona, and even more so since a few of mine forwarded an article on states' lack of compliance with the mental health gun law from MSNBC.com, posted there on February 17.

This is a very personal issue for me and I'm about to share why. To protect the privacy of the two individuals involved, individuals that I know well and love, I will refer to them only as A and B. For those reading this that do know their identities, I ask that you please respect their privacy as well.

A had been dealing with a mental illness for some time, but was refusing treatment. Despite being involuntarily committed for observation and treatment several times, A was able to purchase a gun at a retail establishment. B was not aware of this. One night, A held B at gunpoint in their home and demanded money. Quick wits enabled B to escape the house without injury.

B then went to a police station for assistance. B was turned away. B went to three more police stations before finding officers who would provide assistance. A was taken to a mental health facility. B asked the officers if they would confiscate the gun. They would not. B took the gun into a police station to surrender it. The officer B spoke with would not accept it and advised B to "throw it in a dumpster or sell it."

I have the utmost respect for police officers, but this sadly true story highlights a number of challenges that friends, family members and authorities face when dealing with someone suffering from a mental illness.

- At the time of this incident, A should have been turned away when trying to purchase the gun. Clearly a background check was not performed, or if it was, it did not show incidents that should have prevented the sale.

- I believe that police officers are inadequately trained to deal with persons with mental illnesses. I don't know what the answer is here. They have so much to deal with already.

- I really don't understand why the gun was not accepted by the officers who responded or at the police station B took it to, and I really don't understand the advice B was given.

- It is the nature of mental illnesses that those suffering from them often do not believe there is anything wrong with them. This was one of the most frustrating, painful and difficult things for me to cope with while watching A suffer.

The MSNBC article I referenced above states that the Arizona shooter "was so mentally unstable that he was kicked out of community college." I find it very hard to believe that this is the reason on record. I'm sure there would have to be specific incidents that led to his expulsion. Regardless, where was the help for this young man? Help that possibly could have prevented the tragedy in Tuscon?

The answer's not that easy. It's extremely difficult to find real help for someone suffering from a mental illness. And by real help, I mean help that enables the person to become a functioning member of society, not just a resident in a mental health facility. There have been many advances in treatment that can help individuals suffering from the illnesses to have happy, productive lives.

I'm happy to report that A is doing just fine now...enjoying a happy, productive life. It wasn't easy to get there, but the dogged persistence of friends and family members made it happen.

How can we make things better for others in similar situations? What responsibilities can we reasonably place on educators, police officers and health care providers who can identify individuals suffering from mental illnesses who might pose threats to others?

These are hard questions and the answers won't come easy. My hope is to simply start a conversation about them.