What Are they thinking

Recently, the topics of shooting have been all over the news. Seattle residents just experienced a shooting at Seattle Pacific University. The perpetrator is a 26-year-old man who has a history of mental illness, the gunman killed the student Brian Lee in the science and engineer building and the perpetrator  was stopped by a volunteer, who is also a student at the university, who pepper sprayed the him and the other students came and jumped on the gunman.  

A few weeks ago, a 22-year -old man stabbed three roommates and went on a rampage in Santa Barbara, killing three other people, two being a senority member and a UCSB student in front of a deli.  The gunman also suffered a mental illness since childhood and his parents were active in helping him and letting him to meet with health care professionals.  Before the killing rampage, he wrote a manifesto telling his killing plan and the reason behind his act. He hated the fact girls, he emphasized "blonde" girls, fall in love with other men and not him, his anger is plain and obvious in the writing and he makes no intention to hide it.  

The common theme between the two gunmen is their commonality of having a mental illness.  Their physical illness blinds them from seeing the reality and created an invincible attitude where they believe they have the right to kill anyone.  During my undergraduate years, my study of mental illnesses has given me more empathy toward those who are afflicted with the condition. Sometimes, it is not the person's fault for having it, the condition may results from traumatic events such as depression, parents' divorce, molestation, raping, etc. The key to stopping a mentally illed person from committing another killing rampage is to implement a strict law on getting medical help for them. Instead of giving the patients the option to see a therapist, they should be enforced by law to see a therapist; the professionals have to do a check-up to see if their clients are endangered to the community or not.  Treating mental illness like treating a person  with a criminal conviction should be sufficient.  We do not need to lock up the mentally illed, but we need to make sure they are safe to the community. In addition, the mentally illed should be monitored if they choose to buy guns.  Everyone has the right to bear arms but the mentlally illed should be an exception. We do not know what they are capable of when the weapons are in the hands.  Being extra careful will never hurt anyone.