gun violence

Mass Shootings Tough to Prevent With Mental Health Resources Alone, Experts Say

Blaming mass shootings on mental illness is a deflection of the fact that there can be no effective solution to curb such atrocities without gun control, experts said

NBC Universal, Inc.

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, some Texas politicians have called for increased mental health services to help prevent the next tragedy.

But experts working in the field warn that there is no fully effective solution to stop these shootings before they happen, with some saying that blaming mental health is a deflection from the fact that gun control is a necessary part of prevention. 

"We can do all the things we can to help students, but at the end of the day, if a student has the notion to go shoot up a school and has access to the weapons to do that, I'm not sure any measures that may or may not have taken place would necessarily prevent it," said Jill Cook, the executive director of the American School Counselor Association.

Although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that a "mental health challenge" had played a role in the massacre, the gunman had no known criminal history or mental health issues. And Abbott wasn't alone in pointing to mental health. In the days after the shooting, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told News 4 San Antonio that the tragedy may have been prevented if more mental health resources were dedicated to his region.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

After the mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, "we want to see bills, policies and laws changing to save lives," says Ade Osadolor-Hernandez of Students Demand Action. She joined LX News to talk about preventative policies that might have stopped the Uvalde shooter.
Contact Us