The mass shooting at Robb Elementary is devastating to all the parents who lost their precious children. Now the impetus is on gun control, as it always is after any mass shootings.

Please think about the following: New York and Chicago have strict gun control laws, yet 10 people were killed in a mass shooting in Buffalo this year; in New York City there were 500 gun-related homicides last year and in Chicago; there were 3,561 shooting incidents in 2021 including 797 homicides.

President Biden says little to nothing about those events. What is being passed over by the media and our elected officials is the rampant increase in mental illness. In the late 1950’s there were over 500,000 mental illness facilities in the U.S., while currently there are only around 100,000 facilities. Ask yourself, what happened to all the patients who were released when these facilities were closed? Without proper treatment, many of these individuals are out on their own, left to fend for themselves. That’s a boiling pot for disaster.

Parental supervision and guidance is not what it used to be when I was growing up. Religion, as well as common sense values, are all but gone from today’s society. Social media has also played a detrimental part in all of this. Enforce the current gun control laws. Remember, mentally incapacitated people and criminals are the ones who commit these acts … not the weapons!

Wayne Tanguay
Scarborough