The portrayal of actual people and events, not just of fictional characters and happenings, depicts mental illness in an unfavorable light. On November 5, 2017, in a town of about 600 people, 26 people were killed in what became the biggest shooting in Texas history. Devin Patrick Kelley, prior to opening fire in the First Baptist Church, had passed the background check to obtain his gun, despite being convicted for domestic abuse and discharged from the military due to bad conduct.
President Donald Trump was asked if extreme vetting should be utilized before granting gun ownership. If extreme vetting were implemented, it would be inclusive of extensive background checks and references to confirm an individual’s character. The president responded, “This isn’t a gun situation. This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It’s a very, very sad event, but that’s the way I view it."
In Florida, February 14th, 2018, Nikolas Cruz opened fire on a high school, killing seventeen people. He also obtained his gun legally. In recent reports, his mental health issues are frequently cited to justify his actions.
Mental illness has come to be a crutch that society depends on to excuse violent, tragic events. Instead of considering hateful motives or easy access to weapons, emotional state is blamed. Application of these blanket stereotypes and attributions shrouded over mental illness enables society to forget that bigger issues may lie at hand.
