tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22336837.post5727806784602068515..comments2023-07-04T00:44:28.988-07:00Comments on The Wayward Hawaiian: An Argument for Social Support for the Mentally-At-RiskWayward Hawaiianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07870230217076441039noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22336837.post-41663078201255110852012-12-15T19:30:02.352-08:002012-12-15T19:30:02.352-08:00Yes, you are correct, there was a civil libertaria...Yes, you are correct, there was a civil libertarian aspect to the deinstitutionalization. The line between civil liberties and public safety is occasionally a fuzzy one. However, we should not have to wait until a mass murder to intercede. It is likely that such intervention will not involve institutionalization in most cases for both legal and cost-related reasons. I also agree that a license dependent on passing a mental stability test is probably a good idea. However, in this case, the guns were owned by the shooter's mother. Clearly, while every bit of deterrent counts, we cannot always count on the potentially violent having great motivation to follow the licensing laws. Given the ease of access to weapons of all varieties in this country, those weapons being not at all limited to firearms, it seems that there is still no good substitute for early and frequent intervention and social work among those who require it.Wayward Hawaiianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870230217076441039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22336837.post-85131671721155442112012-12-15T19:12:12.861-08:002012-12-15T19:12:12.861-08:00All of what you say is true enough, but as I recal...All of what you say is true enough, but as I recall what happened here in Massachusetts, there was a considerable civil libertarian element to the deinstitutionalization. The idea was that people who weren't criminals should not be held against their will. I think that any attempt to force unwilling people into treatment would meet with resistance on similar grounds.<br /><br />A more narrowly focused answer would be to require licenses to own firearms, with eligibility dependent, at least in part on passing a mental health/stability test . The license would have to be renewed every few years. with a new test every time. It would not solve the problem of people using someone else's gun, and it would not eliminate illegal ownership. but I think it could help a lot.naturgesetzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15268507379933286863noreply@blogger.com