I'm not going to address this issue directly, except to say that I am afraid of guns. Even if I were sane, I would not own a gun. That being said, I still think that the right to bear arms is important.

We own a gun, but dont have any bullets.
I would be dead several times over if we did.

I say HeLL NO to mentally ill with guns. To me it's a no brainer.

i'm with zsa.
i mean, duhhhhhhhhh. c'mon now.

I do not think we should own guns, but hey to each their own (I would however like to learn how to use & shoot one though)

Hearing voices/paranoid does not always equal schizophrenic, but rather psychotic.. Statistically people with schizophrenia are more likely to hurt themselves rather than anyone else. Then there are other types of disorders that include paranoia & not psychosis.. Just my .02

I do not typically present with rage, so no I do not understand what you are saying or where you are coming from - is it only BP that comes into play concerning your diagnosis'? (Not trying to judge you - nor do you have to answer me, or is it a big deal if you do - more of a rhetorical question)

& supposedly this man was part of a group(/influenced) called the American Renaissance:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/09/jared-loughner-youtube-videos-_n_806370.html (granted their source is Fox - ha)

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0109/American-Renaissance-Was-Jared-Lee-Loughner-tied-to-anti-immigrant-group

So if this was true - why don't they call him a terrorist, and not "mentally ill" Kind of a double standard..

At one time I would have argued the point that having a mental health issue was not a fair reason to preclude me from owning a gun and having a permit. I look at things differently today and agree with Atwater in certain cases,mine included. I should never own a gun,knife,be allowed in the kitchen and stay away from trees. I go into rages,they aren't anywhere as bad as in the past but if I had a gun I'm not sure the financial lady at the hospital would have made it home yesterday,I totally blew a gasket,inappropriately over a 95 dollar charge. Maybe someone else with a non homicidal/suicidal mental disorder can own a gun without a problem and more power to them.I just have a theory though if you own a gun and point it at me you had better shoot me because if I'm pissed I will take it away and shoot you with it.

I have sympathy for absolutely everyone involved in this situation. We own many guns because I live in a family of hunters and my husband likes to "collect" specific guns. However, they are ALL locked in a gun safe with the ammunition and I dont have the combination and dont want the combination.

That said, I have often wondered how many legitimate times we would actually use a gun effectively if we owned one for protection. I always envision myself fumbling with the gun just enough to thwart the effort and end up shot myself. I have experience with a gun and have been trained to use it, but still believe in an emergency situation I would be more of a threat to myself.

I carry pepper spray and if I can acquire a license, I will carry a tazer for protection. The neighborhood that our business is now in, is a little rough and carrying money can be a bit risky.

Overall, honestly, I don't put much weight in whether people accuse others of having a mental illness when things like this happen. As several others have said, you have to be mentally unstable to do what this man did. I think the better thing to do would be to focus our time on developing our own self esteem and coping skills so we dont go awry ourselves.

I keep reading that there was no actual diagnosis or forced hospitalization,that's how he was able to buy a gun ,he had no record of mental health issues. If you do the proper thing and get help that's when you are marked to lose that right to bear arms.

The more that's coming out about this young man and his past behavior (if it's all true).. he has exhibited aggressive and bizarre behavior for a long time and was able to buy a gun legally..that should be an awakening in my mind... I cant help but question this right to bare arms...we dont have it.. we do have many hunters here though.. people can buy rifles pretty easily in Canada.. what's with the automatic arms????...talk about over kill in any situation.. if you look at murders and stats re murders with guns in the world I believe it should tell everyone something.. I guess Im branching off into another discussion.. smile.. so no I dont think the mentally ill should own guns but neither do I think guns are necessary period.

i think this is a no brainer also.. mental illness and guns dont mix well.i know if i had a gun when i was feeling suicical i would have used it... duhhh

That is a tough one. I for one would never own a gun because of my condition. I know that when I am psychotic and under delusions I might use it to defend myself. I do think someone with well controlled bp should be able to enjoy hunting. I think these automatic weapons should be banned for the entire population mentally ill or not. Unless you are in the military there is no reason why the average person would need an automatic weapon.

I am sure the shooter probably did fall through the cracks. When I am psychotic I am capable of anything. I was even arrested in a psychotic state, attacked one of the hospital workers in a psychotic state. I have never been violent in my life. I am a very passive person. Psychosis is very dangerous, yet when I was very psychotic in the hospital at the end of two weeks they kicked me out because insurance ran out. My doctor even went to court to try and keep me in, but lost. I left believing that my family and the entire community was plotting to torture and kill me. Had there been a gun in the house...

No, I should never have a gun besides my BB guns. I don't think I should ever have a gun but bombs are a different story.

Well not every one who shoots some one is mentally ill. Drug dealers for example shoot people who can't pay up or other drug dealers who are invading their territory. They aren't mentally ill FYI. Also people in political positions are often the targets for assassination this really isn't anything historically new.

Yes some people who are mentally ill shouldn't own guns. But I don't think that means every one whose mentally ill can't be trusted with a gun. We are all at different levels of illness.

I myself can't own one, because I have a felony. Even though my crime wasn't violent, and I never used a gun. And now I'm at risk because legally I can go to jail for being around some one who does own a gun. I know some one who was arrested because their spouse legally owned a gun even though he did nothing wrong.

But in all honesty I probably shouldn't own one even if I could. I'd be tempted to use it, both against some one else or on my self.

But this is bad news for all americans because it will be used as an excuse to take guns out of the hands of the responsible mean while the criminals will always find ways to get a hold of guns. In the history of gun control there has never been gun control when it comes to criminals. This is just being used as another excuse for the government to pry guns out of the hands of the public citizens all the while leaving us unprotected from criminals.

this is a tricky issue. But yes I find it highly upsetting that mental illness is coming into the cross fire. It's dragging us down, and slandering our good name.

I guess the problem with the shooter was he was an adult when the school kicked him out and sent the letter to his parents to get him evaluated mentally before he could return.

I had a discussion with my pdoc on all this. She said the Civil rights movement gave rights to all, including the mentally ill. This is why someone in mania cannot be forced to a hospital by the police (as was done for my mom). A mentally ill person just cannot rationally make that decision for themselves in many cases.

This case may change things for us. We will see what congress does.

Doornob, I don't know about your State but here in Cali I have known many members of AA to get a pardoned from their felonies by just staying clean and sober for many years. Also they have to hold down a job and etc.

I don't know much about it because I always used a hotshot lawyer to save my ass before I was sent to prison with my ass sticking out.

Better to pay a lawyer or loan for 10 years than it is to spend one year in the joint.