Of their particular group.

ahhh sorry. Yes, ok, I'd go with that.

Schizophrenics are diagnosed by psychiatrists. It is unthinkable to put every gun applicant through psychiatric testing. It would also be highly ineffective. Schizophrenics are normal until the illness shows up, often around Loughner's age. The only way to diagnose its eventual likelihood would be through genetic testing.

By the way, you won't read that Loughner is Schizophrenic anywhere but here. News won't say it because it's not an official diagnosis. Doctors won't publicly speculate, because they won't diagnose without personally seeing the patient. And even if he was diagnosed, that information would be protected by healthcare privacy laws. I'm saying it on the basis of stories from fellow students and teachers at his junior college, and his YouTube videos.

We just got an email from Student/Academic support services, about how to proceed with troubled students. This Loughner guy was kicked out of community college for behavioral issues.

If you've been kicked out of community college for behavioral issues, methinks you have some monumental behavioral issues. Surely these behaviors don't exist in a vacuum. But we can't use that sort of common sense, it tramps all over our FREEDOMS (say that word loudly and pound your chest as you say it.)

If only the 9 year old girl had been packin'. :(

Should our tactic be reactivity, so that only one woman gets shot in the head (perhaps) and the shooter gets a hundred bullets in him from the standers-by, or should our tactic be proactivity, so that nobody gets shot in the first place?

Disclaimer: I do not think that we can stop all gun violence, but I think that, as a society, we can do a better job.

Side note: the 9 year old girl was the granddaughter of Dallas Green, Manager of the Phillies when they won the world series in 1980.

From the Washington Times story I linked.

So are you saying that only a psychiatrist could tell that this guy was not stable? I bet his neighbors wondered about him. I bet if you interviewed neighbors and co-workers, you'd get a picture.

His friends aquaintances, former classmates (he didn't have cow orkers), and neighbors, have been all over the news. They all said he was nuts... make that acted nuts, but that's not illegal.

From bits and pieces in the press, he was a loner. He had plans for years. But even locked them in a safe. Apparently said nothing to anyone.

It becomes a problem of what is your responsibility verses what will only get you sued. A question we should all have answered years ago. And still is not discussed or publically defined.

He scared many people in his math class. Was (as best I can tell) expelled. Should have been known to those that he obviously needed help. But this is again what the AZ Sheriff noted. We don't help the mentally deficient. We put them back on the streets. Another problem that has not been addressed.

Surprising though. He owned (or rented) a house. He must have had income. So much of this story is not told. Too little for anyone to make conclusions.

How obvious was Hinckley a threat to Reagan. As best I can tell, even that question was never answered.

Student loan and Pell grant overages, probably. :cool:

This is an interesting question.

I see homeless guys having conversations with nobody there, and sometimes they are laughing heartily with or passionately yelling at these invisible people. They are clearly mentally ill. It's not a secret. They are right out in the open. Thousands of people each day walk right past them.

So am I supposed to do anything about them? Is there a nutjob hot line I'm supposed to call?

Again, he was kicked out of COMMUNITY COLLEGE for behavioral issues. Do you know how bad you gotta be to get kicked out of CC? We're not talking the guy in the weird hat, the student who talks to himself, the guy who eats insects on his smoke break, we're talking threatening harm and intimidating people. Otherwise, we got a program for your weird ass, we want you to succeed! Eat your bugs man, we're all about diversity! We applaud you! Next week the cafe is doing a feature on bug casseroles and lizard dishes. We want you to feel at home.

But threatening people and creating an unsafe environment, that will get you kicked out of CC.

I did not think schizophrenics as a rule were known for violent behavior towards others.