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Gun Violence and Mental Illness:

It can be difficult to comprehend what leads people to extreme violent behavior which harms others. In the search for an explanation, many, including politicians and the media, highlight mental illness as a primary reason a person would commit horrific crimes.

However, there is much to know about the extent to which mental illness is (and isn’t) a risk factor for gun violence. Enduring, harmful myths and stereotypes about mental illness and violent tendencies deserve to be dismantled. The facts show that people with serious mental illnesses are, indeed, somewhat more likely to commit violent acts than people who are not mentally ill, but the large majority are not violent toward others (96%). Moreover, when persons with mental illness do behave violently, it is often

—although not always—for the same reasons that non–mentally ill people engage in violent behavior. In short, violence is a complex societal problem that is caused, more often than not, by factors besides mental illness.

MASS SHOOTINGS:

We often hear after a mass shooting that mental health is to blame.

However, a Columbia University research study found that of the 1,800 mass murders, only 8% of all mass shooters were diagnosed with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder. Mass murderers with psychotic illness are much less likely to use firearms, much more likely to use other methods or weapons.

LAWS:

To address Guns and Mental Illness: Restrictions related to mental illness have existed since 1968, but largely remained unimplemented until 1993, Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act which instituted federal background checks for people attempting to buy guns from licensed dealers and reaffirmed the prohibited categories that the Gun Control Act had promulgated. In 1998, the National Instant

Criminal Background Check System (NICS) went into effect. However, many states failed to report mental health records to the NICS system due to concerns about confidentiality and lack of data systems connecting mental health and criminal justice agencies.

In 2022 Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: The bill provides almost $15 billion in new funding for mental health and school safety, school-based mental health programs, children and family mental health services and crisis intervention programs. With gun deaths continuing to rise in the immediate future, one would hope that this legislation will impact future generations resulting in fewer gun deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

gun violence involving people with mental illness makes it clear that this is a multifaceted problem whose solution will require a range of policy approaches and reforms

working together.

Suicides are responsible for 61% of gun violence deaths and it is generally believed that some form of mental illness

is related. Suicide will be addressed in an upcoming article from the Episcopal Peace Fellowship in September 2023.

For more info about EPF's Gun Violence Prevention action group contact Jackie Lynn.

Women who dream of a world without gun violence.

On average, six women are killed with firearms every day in Mexico. The so-called “war on drugs” increased the use of firearms against women, and the pandemic caused a spike in gender-based violence on the streets and in the homes. Most of the weapons come from the US.

Faced with multiple forms of violence, women are organizing. In Guerrero, displaced women have formed groups to seek aid and justice from the government, and make visible the serious crisis they face. Women are the backbone of the gun control movement in Mexico and the US. They also come together to protect and care for each other in situations of domestic violence.

The work of these women and many more, makes them safer while challenging the system that perpetuates gun violence. Meet the Women who dream of a world without gun violence.

From The Power of Women in Pandemic Times and Vanessa Castro.

Weekly Compline Update

Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s Compline is taking a summer break for July and August. We will reconvene on Tuesday, September 19th with a Compline setting to honor, celebrate and pray for our Creation that we will use until the beginning of Advent. If you have collects, litanies or prayers that you’d like included in this new compline setting please send them to us.

While on your summer hiatus, we ask that you look for and pray for “life lessons learned from creation.” Capture them in a photo, poem, prayer or some other form and send them to us. We will share them with one another as part of our new season of compline when we gather on September 19th.

EPF's Ongoing Prayer for Peace in Ukraine