In addition to possible gun control legislation, many people have suggested more funding and awareness around mental health issues, as well as keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people.
But there's one problem with that.
If Adam Lanza had Asperger's Syndrome, he did not have a mental illness.
My understanding of Asperger's is that it's a developmental disorder or disability, not a mental illness like depression or bipolar disorder.
From WebMD:
Asperger's syndrome, also called Asperger's disorder, is a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination.
While I think it's reasonable to assume that Adam Lanza had a mental illness on top of having Asperger's, no one has really talked about the fact that Asperger's is an increasingly common disability -- not a mental illness.
Also, the Brady gun law states that people who have been adjudicated as severely mentally ill are the ones who can't have access to guns.
From the Brady campaign website:
Q. Who is screened out by Brady background checks?
A. Federal law prohibits the following categories of persons from buying or possessing firearms:
felons
fugitives from justice
people addicted to/unlawfully using controlled substances
court-ordered dangerously mentally ill people
people in the country illegally
dishonorably discharged soldiers
people who have renounced United States citizenship
domestic violence abusers subject to a protective order
domestic violence abusers convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
There's no reason why Adam Lanza would have run any bells if there had been a background check on him, or his family, because he would not have been in any database.
Thoughts??