Laws stop shootings, not psychiatry

Every nation has aberrant teens obsessed with homicidal thoughts - but only in the U.S. are they given unregulated access to an arsenal of semiautomatic rifles, bulk ammunition and tactical gear to commit mass murder in their schools.

As a career psychiatric acute care administrator, I know our profession is powerless to stop mass shootings. More money for mental health is always needed but psychiatry is not a predictive science and by law, mental health professionals can only remove guns in extreme circumstances, and even then, only temporarily.

Despite her leadership position and tenure, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has voted against every attempt to reduce gun violence, even banning bump stocks used to kill 58 people and injure 851 in the Las Vegas shooting. CMR steadfastly perpetuates the false choice between the right to own guns and the right to live in a society where guns are reasonably regulated.

We must elect new leadership to Congress, like Lisa Brown, who unlike CMR, refused NRA money and has the vision courage, knowledge and skill to enact evidence-based gun reform. Only common-sense gun laws can interrupt the deadly link between compulsive homicidal behavior and unfettered access to guns.

Susan Hammond

Spokane