Today, David French, a thinking conservative columnist, lawyer, veteran, and Christian believer, wrote advocating red-flag laws. I hope that the people who frequent my page will read his article before posting comments pointing out the problems with such laws.
However:
What good is a law which (temporarily) removes firearms from someone who presents a threat of violence if there is no effective screening and treatment option?
The state got out of the mental health business in the 1980s, and in the 1990s insurance companies essentially shut down private by refusing to pay for anything other than brief treatment.
We are looking at the longer-term consequences of applauding the abandonment of public mental health services, specifically, residential treatment facilities. Instead, we were told that "community mental health" was the way to go. For many, maybe most, that's true. But it's not true for all, and, without mental health beds, those suffering with severe mood and thought disorders can (at best) hope to be arrested.
If I wanted first-class trauma treatment, I think I'd want to go to Grady Hospital, because they deal with shootings, stabbings, and industrial accidents ALL the time. They have lots of experience. But today, who has lots of experience in screening mental health patients to determine if admission is necessary? A few, I'm sure; but did the people who screened the Buffalo shooter, or the Parkland shooter have the experience needed to make the right choice? Or was it just that there wasn't any place for them to go?
We WILL pay a price for those suffering from mental health issues; right now, without intending to do so, we are paying in blood and grief.
