GOP blaming mental illness for gun violence is counterproductive and cruel, say experts

Dr Paul Appelbaum, a psychiatrist, challenges assumptions about the connections between mental health and violence risk

In the wake of the Maine mass shootings that left 18 people dead, Republican politicians are returning to a familiar talking point: the way to prevent these frequent massacres is not changing how easy it is for Americans to access guns - it's locking up more people with mental health issues.

The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, said after the shooting that he did not support expanding the red flag" laws that make it easier to temporarily take guns away from people who have threatened to hurt themselves or others. Instead, he argued on CNN, an involuntary commitment" of the shooter would have done the trick". In 2018, then-president Donald Trump responded to a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead, in part by tweeting about why a sicko" like the shooter should have been brought to a mental institution".