Don't Blame Gun Violence on Mental Illness

That's the theme of an op-ed for the Tuesday NYT and is much welcome.  Dr. Richard A. Friedman points to study showing that only 4% of violent crimes committed by those with mental illness--and that far, far more trouble caused by those high on drink or drugs. 

It’s possible that preventing people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses from getting guns might decrease the risk of mass killings. Even the Supreme Court, which in 2008 strongly affirmed a broad right to bear arms, at the same time endorsed prohibitions on gun ownership “by felons and the mentally ill.”

But mass killings are very rare events, and because people with mentally illness contribute so little to overall violence, these measures would have little impact on everyday firearm-related killings. Consider that between 2001 and 2010, there were nearly 120,000 gun-related homicides, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Few were perpetrated by people with mental illness.