Refocusing Gun Policy

To the Editor: The article by McGinty and colleagues (1) in the January issue does a fine job of setting out a research agenda for gun laws applied to individuals with serious mental illness. However, it starts with the premise that we should consider such legislation as reasonable. I argue that the authors are looking down the wrong end of the barrel and furthering stigma.

Some have argued that the problem is gun control, but that approach has not been successful. One might as well advocate for making bullets illegal. In fact, some have suggested limiting the number of rounds sold at any one time. What actually kills? It’s not guns. It’s bullets. But that strategy is not likely to be any more effective than banning firearms.

What concerns me is focusing on policies that continue to make the spurious link between routine gun violence and mental illness. Suicide is the bigger problem. Mass shootings involving individuals with a history of mental illness fortunately are rare. Segregation of those with serious mental illness under yet another heading for purposes of separate treatment is little better than such separation was during the U.S. eugenics movement, the place where it all began back in the 1920s.