Once again, tragedy has resulted at the hands of a person in a mental health crisis who fell through the cracks.
Law enforcement should not be tasked with ensuring the well-being of those in mental health crisis or decline, nor should they be the gatekeepers for mental health services. This is not what they signed up for and not what they have been trained for.
The shooter’s manifesto outlines how the current systems failed him and his family throughout his life. Our current mental health system demands tragedy before treatment, and until this changes future tragedies will occur.
Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA) has introduced the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013 (HR 3717), which calls for sweeping changes in our mental health system. Supporting this bill will help avert future tragedies such as this.