AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A gunman opened fire Monday in a Target store parking lot in the Texas capital, killing at least three people, then stole two cars during a getaway that ended with police using a Taser to detain him on the other side of the city, authorities said.
I think it’s time we stop swallowing the “mental health issues” excuse and pretending the real problem is just how a mentally ill person got a gun. That’s a distraction, a way to avoid talking about why so many people are desperate, untreated, and breaking.
How exactly do you plan to “screen for mental illness” in gun ownership? A psychic hotline? A vibes check at the gun counter? It’s absurd. If mental health is truly the concern, then the solution isn’t in background checks, it’s in actual, accessible, affordable mental health care.
But here’s the reality: in the richest country on Earth, getting mental health treatment can cost more than rent. People get put on months-long waitlists. Insurance companies deny coverage for therapy while covering opioids and antidepressants like candy. And then everyone acts shocked when someone cracks under the weight of it all and lashes out, sometimes violently, sometimes in a Target parking lot.
If you’re serious about preventing this, you don’t start with the gun store. You start with making sure people never get to that breaking point in the first place.