The
problems we have in dealing with the epidemic concerning the mass
murders in our schools, theaters, and malls extends way beyond
banning assault weapons, though I do believe that is one piece of the
puzzle.

A
second slice revolves around the mental illness these individuals
seem to share. They possess a rage that has probably been building
for years until some “trigger” sets them off and they go on a
rampage, striking out at the most defenseless in our society, often
our children.

We
are letting these people percolate and fumigate in their misery for
years without doing one thing to try to identify and help them....and
they really fit a very typical pattern. They are usually very
intelligent but ostracized by their peers for one reason or another;
they often come from upper middle class families, and they nearly
always kill themselves after killing several others first.

We
are so concerned with “teaching to academic tests” that we
completely forget that we should begin testing in elementary school
for mental stability as well. We can identify these youngsters before
they graduate with a regimented set of psychological tests throughout
their school years.

Once
we identify them, the school must have the authority to get these
individuals the mental help they need. Parents are often the last to
know or admit that a child has mental health issues. Not all will
need institutionalization. Many can be helped with medication, group
therapy, and individual therapy before this rage builds to the point
that it leads to tragedy for the individual and others. Some may
have to be institutionalized.

We
must also have a national data base of people who exhibit “rage”
issues, so that they can never purchase any weapon of any kind.

Let
us begin petitioning the National Education Association to take the
lead in getting these changes implemented and into our school
systems.