I think that mental health is one area of debate that should definitely be explored. We (and by we I mean the entire country) have quickly jumped to the gun debate. But guns are not the most important issue here, IMHO. Mental health care is much closer to the issue at hand. It certainly seems like steps should have been taken earlier. It's very difficult to restrain someone who is showing danger signals. In this situation they tried to get the man into counseling. The English teacher tried multiple times, both appealing directly to him and trying to get a mandate. In some respects its good that its difficult to get someone locked up. The danger of witch hunts, greed, ignorance, and malice shouldn't be ignored either. Some people tend to talk about creepy subjects but aren't a danger to anyone, other people seem calm and well adjusted and have a crawl space full of bodies.

Whatever the legal and moral issues to serpentine, I think it is clear we need to lose the coyness about mental disease. The subject shouldn't be taboo and treatment shouldn't be either.