In this undated photo released by Cumbria Police on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, suspected gunman Derrick Bird, 52, from Rowrah, northwest England, who went on a shooting spree in northwest England.The Associated Press
The third killing rampage in Britain in 23 years should turn people's attention not only to gun controls - already among the world's strictest - but also to mental health issues.
Derrick Bird, a 52-year-old taxi driver, was a seemingly ordinary man who had been licensed to own a shotgun since 1995, and a rifle since 2007, apparently without incident until Wednesday, when he shot 12 other people dead in a rural area of Britain, critically wounded several others, and killed himself. No system, either of gun controls or of mental health care, can remove all the dangers posed by people who, like Mr. Bird, live peaceful, law-abiding lives and then, seemingly, snap. But there is reason to believe that people can be helped. They may not actually snap. It is more of a deterioration over time.
Do people such as Mr. Bird feel comfortable about seeking help for emotional problems and stress? Do others around them recognize the importance of such help? Is it available when they need it?
There was an unconfirmed report yesterday that Mr. Bird, after a dispute with fellow taxi drivers on Tuesday night, had gone home and grabbed his guns, but had been stopped by the daughter of a friend. He is then believed to have sought medical help at a local hospital, but was turned away, the Daily Telegraph reported. If that is the case, do hospitals have the capacity to assess people like Mr. Bird, hold them when necessary and treat them?
That might have been an opportunity to have stopped him. But it may be that, over the years, there were other opportunities to reach him and alter his course. This was not an isolated individual. He travelled abroad with friends each year. He had family and neighbours whom he talked to. The stigma associated with mental illness makes it harder for people to ask for help. Friends, family and community play a role in helping those under stress get the help they need. And everyone has a role to play in knocking down stigma.
Prime Minister David Cameron was right when he warned against a knee-jerk reaction to find an instant legislative or regulatory answer: "You can't legislate to stop a switch flicking in someone's head." One regulatory answer being proposed is an annual mental-health examination of all gun owners in Britain (there are more than 600,000 shotgun owners). That would be an enormous, costly and probably futile undertaking. It would be far more constructive to try to improve mental-health services for all.
Everyone wants to talk about guns and gun controls. Fine, let's talk about guns. But let's talk about mental health, too.