How to Stop Mass Shootings? It’s Going to Take Political Will

We can fix much of this if we can find the political will to do so. Each state needs to develop a realistic plan to deal with our national psychiatric crisis.

People gather at a vigil for the victims of mass shootings on Oct. 25, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 29, 2023. Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Commentary

My phone flashes a news report that tells me another shooting has happened, this time in Maine. The suspect appears to be a man who has an extensive history of mental illness and hospitalization. He’s reported to have been hearing voices, and I immediately understand why he did this, why the mental health system failed him and the public, and why this will happen again and again until we find the political will to fix the problem.