The mentally ill and unstable individuals need our help! Unfortunately we do not have a system in place that can identify these individuals. Why? Because time travel and crystal balls are not currently available. Judging or punishing individuals for future crimes is a slippery slope and if anyone saw the movie Minority Report they will agree. So how do we stop the mentally ill from harming others? That’s a very good question and I’m still waiting to hear a valid answer.
Even though we are unable to predict the future our politicians and lawmakers think they can create laws to safeguard us against the future. Are you freakin’ kidding me! So let’s review some of their ideas:
Washington State is proposing a bill that would allow a Judge to confiscate your firearms if a family member or police officer feels you’re an extreme threat! So the next time you have an argument with a family member they could simple pick up the phone and report you. What if there’s no argument but they just don’t like firearms? What if your neighbor feels unsafe with firearms in your home and decides to call the police and report you as a violent individual?
In New York a retired Firefighter got into an argument with his son over a washing machine and his wife called the police. After everything was settled peacefully the police returned and confiscated his firearm collection. Why? Another man was seen by a doctor for depression and the doctor determined he was not a threat to himself or others but his firearms were confiscated. These are only two stories that demonstrate our system is broke. There are thousands of military veterans that are unable to own firearms because they were treated for PTSD.
We can learn a lot from history. If we, as a society decide to go down this slippery slope we will be opening a door that cannot be shut. Does anyone remember the Salem witch hunts? During the Salem witch hunt hundreds of innocent people were put to death because a family member or neighbor thought they were a witch. We look back at this time in history and ask ourselves how that could have happened? Well folks, its beginning again and if we let it happen a hundred years from now they will be asking the same thing of us.
Yes, we have mentally ill and unstable individuals who want to harm others and yes they should be identified and treated but I ask you this: Who determines this? Is it a family member, relative, neighbor, police or the government? Is it determined by your beliefs, a post, or hobbies? Maybe your religious beliefs?
Why should we would stop at confiscating firearms. If someone is truly mentally unstable and sets out to harm others why not confiscate knifes, hammers, matches, vehicles, etc, etc. If someone is truly a threat to others they will find a weapon in anything they pick up.
We are a broken and scared society. We let the fears of others override our better judgment. We simply follow the masses. A child makes an imaginary gun with his/her hand and they get suspended from school. A group of boys are playing cops and robbers in their front yard and they get suspended. Why and how have we fallen so low that simple things you and I did as children are now reason for suspension? Could these actions be determined to be signs of early mental illness? Should we simple play it safe and commit all children that play with imaginary guns to a mental facility?
Let’s pull our heads out of our asses and say enough is enough! Let’s not start another Salem witch hunt and let’s stop predicting the future.