Tracking mentally ill individuals to reduce violence in the United States: Are background checks effective prevention strategies?

• In Event: Mental Health Problems and Violence: Myths and Science

Abstract

Following a large number of violent incidents including mass shootings in the last few years in the United States, gun sales have sky rocketed in 2015, and focus is directed towards background checks of mentally ill in gun sales. A substantive amount of tax payers’ money helps to build and maintain these registries and therefore it is crucial to investigate how useful they are in order to decrease gun violence.
The aim of the current paper is to contrast public opinion surveys with experts’ opinions (n = 12) about the relationship between mental illness and violence, and to investigate experts opinions on the usefulness of registries.
Results show that the public to a larger extent than the experts hold mentally ill offenders accountable for violence. Second, experts did not consider registries for gun control for mentally ill a reliable solution, to some extent because registries are not based on scientific grounds. Third, mentally ill constitute a very small group of violent offenders, and financial resources could be more effectively used to prevent violence.
We discuss future research needs suggested by the experts, and in the light of the current policy initiatives to improve safety and the public health climate in the United States and Europe.

Authors

• Lia Ahonen, University of Pittsburgh

• Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh