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Liberals deny link between mental illness and mass shootings

Think Progress appears to believe that focusing on a link between mental illness and mass shootings is a National Rifle Association tactic designed to divert attention away from the need for gun control legislation.

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Closely-related arguments were put forth this week by the American Psychiatric Association, which seems more concerned about stigmatization of mentally ill people than with identifying potentially dangerous individuals who pose risks to their communities.

Today, APA released a statement slamming NRA chief Wayne LaPierre for suggesting that most mass shooters are mentally ill:

In a statement to the media distributed this afternoon, APA said that [NRA head Wayne] LaPierre’s assumption that horrendous crimes such as the one committed by shooter Adam Lanza are commonly perpetrated by persons with mental illness. In addition, he conflated mental illness with evil at several points in his talk and suggested that those who commit heinous gun crimes are “so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can ever possibly comprehend them,” a description that leads to the further stigmatization of people with mental illnesses.

APA President, Dilip Jeste, M.D., pointed out, “About one-quarter of all Americans have a mental disorder in any given year, and only a very small percentage of them will ever commit violent crimes. On today’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Mr. LaPierre used the word ‘lunatic’ as a catchphrase for those who commit violent crimes. Such language is not only offensive, it further contributes to the idea that violent crimes are necessarily committed by people with mental disorders.”

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Some liberal tweeters appear to agree:

It surely is true that most mentally ill people are not violent, but it seems equally clear that most mass shooters have serious mental health problems — and in many cases those problems were evident before the shooting occurred.

Consider the following list of infamous gunmen:

  • Newtown, Conn., shooter Adam Lanza
  • Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui
  • Aurora, Colo., shooter James Holmes
  • Tuscon, Ariz., shooter Jared Loughner
  • Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

It is very likely that all six of these gunmen were all — wait for it — mentally ill.

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We know, we know. You’re as shocked as we are.

Mark Follman, a writer for the left-wring magazine Mother Jones, examined 62 mass shootings. He concludes that “[a]  majority were mentally ill” and “[a]cute paranoia, delusions, and depression were rampant among them.”

We don’t expect Think Progress and the APA to listen to Twitchy, but you’d think they might respect the judgment of a fellow liberal writing in a liberal publication.

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