[MLeake]

While horrific when they occur, nutcases shooting up malls and schools are still fairly rare occurrences.

Murders by stalkers and domestic partners are much more abundant. In many cases, orders of protection are in place but ineffective.

If Newtown were not a big item with antis and the media, and if we really wanted to cut down on homicides, I would think we would get more serious about consequences for stalkerish behavior and for violating restraining orders.

Mental health issues, as discussed here, account for less overall violence than do more mundanely violent causes.

Edit: This goes back to the argument that in many cases, mechanisms are in place - with regard to existing laws - but enforcement is uneven, or law enforcement priorities are elsewhere.

And, Metal God, as I answered you on a different occasion, there are times when doing something (the wrong action) is in fact worse than doing nothing.

People who want to do something because it makes them feel better, not because their actions really help, are deceiving themselves, potentially inconveniencing others, and squandering time and resources.

Second Edit: I am less concerned with how our legal system handles mental health issues, than with how our legal system so often fails to handle violent recidivists.