Wonkbook: The problem with trying to solve gun violence by going after the mentally ill

By Carolyn Y. Johnson In the wake of a mass shooting, a furious political debate inevitably erupts: Does gun violence stem from mental-health issues or from easy access to firearms? A policy solution that attempts to skirt the contentious divide is to make it harder for people with a history of mental illness to own a gun. …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   (Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press) By Carolyn Y. Johnson In the wake of a mass shooting, a furious political debate inevitably erupts: Does gun violence stem from mental-health issues or from easy access to firearms? A policy solution that attempts to skirt the contentious divide is to make it harder for people with a history of mental illness to own a gun. A new Health Affairs study followed 81,704 adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression who were receiving treatment through the public behavioral health systems in two Florida counties to measure the effectiveness of such policies. About 12.8 percent were restricted from purchasing a firearm for mental-health reasons. Federal and state laws prohibit people from obtaining guns if they have been committed for mental-health treatment involuntarily, found not guilty of a crime due to insanity, been found incompetent to stand trial, or deemed mentally unable to manage their affairs. The study's findings provide a snapshot of gun violence within a population of mentally ill people. Although people with mental illness were more likely to be arrested for violent crime than the general population over the study period, from 2002 to 2011, the study found they actually had a slightly lower arrest rate for gun-related crimes. Read the rest on Wonkblog.   Chart of the day Cities with high rents don't necessarily have extreme economic inequality. Jeff Guo has more. Top policy tweets "With Paul Ryan rolling out poverty agenda, here's a progressive response https://t.co/k8nzZ2yLUa" -- @ThePlumLineGS "Will robots do to workers what the internal combustion engine did to horses? A once stupid idea is looking less stupid https://t.co/D9C96dIKqM" -- @portereduardo "Raise your hand if you're surprised that coal cos. are going to stick the public w/ the bill for their filth. https://t.co/bcb4yCmos3" -- @drvox ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog What Hillary Clinton would do to America She's in line to be the Democratic nominee -- and this is what her plan really looks like. By Max Ehrenfreund and Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   The best places to live if you make a lot of money There are surprising names in this list. By Jeff Guo  •  Read more »   The biggest business story of the next five years It's going to steal all the workers By Conor Sen  •  Read more »   The issue that could unite conservatives and socialists The idea really is as radical as it sounds. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   The problem with trying to solve gun violence by going after the mentally ill It's one area where gun control laws are clearly falling short. By Carolyn Y. Johnson  •  Read more »   What makes the Stanford sex offender’s six month jail sentence so unusual Stanford swimmer Brock Turner's sentence was very unusual. By Danielle Paquette  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071