The Oregonian - If Congress won't crack down on guns, demand expansion of mental health services

In just barely over two weeks, we've been jolted – or have we, really? – by shootings on or near college and high school campuses in California, Washington and now Oregon.

Six dead in Isla Vista. One dead in Seattle. And now Troutdale, where a student was killed, the gunman died, and the lives of hundreds of teenagers, parents and staff at Reynolds High School were turned upside down this morning.

It's uncanny. Just yesterday, I was on the phone with U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, asking the Beaverton Democrat about common themes and topics that had surfaced during seven town halls she'd held last week in her district.

Along with medical care for veterans and the rising cost of higher education, there was a major concern: gun violence and prevention of mass shootings.

The issue came up in urban, suburban, rural and coastal communities – in Portland, Beaverton, Gearhart, Vernonia, McMinnville and Newberg – but, curiously, not in Hillsboro during a June 4 meeting that drew about 45 people.

"I actually brought it up in several places because I felt compelled after yet another incident," Bonamici said. "Even in Yamhill County, where I knew people would bristle, I said we need to come together as a community and figure out what we can do. Whether background checks or access to mental health counseling, where do we need to intervene to do some prevention?"

Last Friday, Bonamici started her day with town halls in Vernonia and Gearhart. She ended it by issuing a statement of condolence after Paul Lee, a 19-year-old student from Washington County's Westview High School, was gunned down in the Seattle Pacific University shooting.

Two Fridays before, the day had unspooled in similar fashion. Bonamici visited a local school, then came by the Hillsboro Argus to meet with editors. She said she doubted Congress would act to reduce gun violence despite strong public support for comprehensive background checks for gun buyers. That evening, May 23, a mentally ill man went on a rampage in Isla Vista and killed six students – three with a gun, three with a knife – before fatally shooting himself.

"I continue to implore my colleagues in Congress to take steps to reduce gun violence," Bonamici said in her June 6 statement. "We must pass stricter background checks and commit to strengthening our country's mental health care system. And we must demand greater accountability in reporting and investigating mental health concerns and invest in more research on the treatment of mental illness.

"We owe it to the victims, their families, and this great nation to do all we can to keep guns out of the hand of those who commit such inexcusable violence."

So, what now?

Back in her Washington, D.C., office, Bonamici tried to sound positive.

She noted that in the week following the Isla Vista shootings, she had voted with the majority as the House passed a bill that would increase funding for the federal system of background checks for gun purchases.

The measure would provide an additional $19.5 million in funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System, which is designed to keep guns out of the hands of people with felony convictions and certain mental health issues. If approved by the Senate, the bill would provide grant money to states to improve information submitted to the national database.

Bonamici also said she hopes the House will approve the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

The legislation would expand mental health programs in schools and prohibit purchase or possession of guns by individuals who are subject to involuntary outpatient commitment, if a court finds they are a threat to themselves or others. Current federal law applies only to inpatient commitments. The measure also aims to keep guns out of the hands of people convicted of misdemeanor stalking.

"The way I see it, making sure people have the access to care and treatment" is critical, Bonamici said. "In all the mass shootings I'm aware of, from Thurston to Columbine to Aurora to Newtown to Isla Vista, (the shooters) are troubled young men."

The latest spasm of gun violence – in our own backyard in metro Portland -- underscores that sad reality.

If Congress won't enact strict gun control measures, let's not throw up our hands and give up the fight.

Instead, let's put our senators and congressional representatives on notice that we demand increased funding for mental health services. That's a bipartisan step we can take to get psychiatric care for those who need it – before another dangerous, unstable person shoots up another campus.