U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the shootings in El Paso and Daytonin the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Trump scapegoated the mentally ill and suggested that they are involuntarily confined instead of changing gun laws.
Video of Trump:
Trump said, “We must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people not only get treatment but, when necessary, involuntary confinement. Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun. Fourth, we must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. That is why I have called for red-flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders. Today I’m also directing the department of justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively, and without years of needless delay. These are just a few of the areas of cooperation that we can pursue.”
The problem with Trump’s plan to involuntarily commit mentally ill people is that not every mass shooter has a documented medical record of mental illness, and the vast majority of people who have a mental illness aren’t mass shooters. The easier and smarter way to deal with the problem is to limit the ease and ability of anybody with a mental illness to purchase a gun. Trump reversed a rule by the Obama administration that prevented people who receive Social Security disability benefits for a mental illness from owning guns. The problem isn’t the mental illness. It is that a person with a mental illness can easily get a weapon that’s sole purpose is to kill other human beings.
The gun laws are the problem, not Americans who are living with a mental illness.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Jimmy Carter was not only the longest living ex-president in history, but he lived so…
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama honored Jimmy Carter in the most…
Trump got House Republicans to not use reconciliation to cut Social Security. The problem is…
President-elect Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have agreed to a deal that would fund the…
Donald Trump demanded that the debt limit be raised as part of the government funding…
Donald Trump and JD Vance are blaming President Biden for the havoc caused by Elon…
This website uses cookies.
