Except that it's hard to know who the crazies are. And which of the crazies are actually dangerous. And how to distinguish between folks with mental illness and a violently crazy person who's about to steal a relative's weapons and commit mass murder.
And, of course, that's a teeny-tiny fraction of the killings in this country anyway.
'All the focus on the small number of people with mental illness who are violent serves to make us feel safer by displacing and limiting the threat of violence to a small, well-defined group. But the sad and frightening truth is that the vast majority of homicides are carried out by outwardly normal people in the grip of all too ordinary human aggression to whom we provide nearly unfettered access to deadly force.'
Embedded Link
A Misguided Focus on Mental Illness in Gun Control Debate
People with mental illness account for a very small share of homicides in the United States, and keeping guns out of their hands will hardly affect rates of violence.
Google+: View post on Google+
Well, thinking you need a gun is a good start. From there, it's just a matter of degree.
I don't believe that thinking you need a gun is per se a mental illness. Thinking you need a gun because the Subterraneans are Out to Get You, or Martians are Invading, sure. Because the Evil Government is Coming to Stamp Your Forehead with the Number of the Beast … well, less of a sure bet (might merely be instilled fear from outside source). Needing a gun to protect your property (livestock, big screen TV) … again, perhaps unwonted fear, perhaps very real needs (I've not lived on a ranch or in a high crime area, so I can't say), and perhaps misjudgment and poor risk analysis … but not necessarily mental illness.
Not everyone with a gun thinks they need it to chase the barbarians from the gates. I would say approximately 25% of the people in my region have incomes below the poverty line and I know many of them have a freezer full of dear meat that they shot, dressed and butchered themselves. That is another reason to own a gun – although not necessarily a military grade weapon with a ridiculous oversized magazine.
I had been going to add in something along those lines, but forgot — thanks, +Kit Malone.