Trump focus on mental health after school shooting denounced
Frustration is mounting in the medical community as the Trump administration again points to mental illness in response to yet another mass shooting.
"The concept that mental illness is a precursor to violent behavior is nonsense," said Dr.
Since the shooting, his mental health has been the focus of President
Mental health professionals welcome more resources and attention, but they say the administration is ignoring the real problem — easy access to guns, particularly the kind of high-powered highly lethal assault weapons used in many of the most recent mass shootings.
"Even for those who manage to survive gun violence involving these weapons, the severity and lasting impact of their wounds, disabilities and treatment leads to devastating consequences,"
"We are not talking about Second Amendment rights or restricting your ability to own a firearm. We are talking about a public health crisis that our
Better access to mental health care, including for those who might be prone to violence, is important, but "to blame this all just on mental illness is not sufficient," he said in an interview Friday.
The AMA has supported efforts to boost gun violence research, ban assault weapons and to restrict access to automatic weapons. Barbe wrote in his column that federally funded research is crucial to address an "urgent health crisis."
Under gun industry pressure,
The groups' recommendations include limits on high-powered, rapid-fire weapons designed to kill and funding gun violence research at the
According to the
"The families of the victims in
The
The president views gun owners as a key constituency that helped deliver him to the
Before he was a candidate, Trump at one point favored some tighter gun regulations. But he embraced gun rights as a candidate, and the
His latest budget request would slash Medicaid, the major source of federal funding for treating mental health problems, and cut school safety programs by more than a third. Last year, he signed a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.
Federal and state laws already attempt to do this, in many cases with a ban on gun ownership for people who have been treated in mental institutions.
"There's a great naivete to what the president and the governor are proposing," Kraus said. A history of violent behavior, alcohol and substance use, and previous criminal behavior are all more pertinent factors to consider.
Dr.
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Doctors blast Trump’s mental illness focus to fight violence
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