The discourse needs to be toned down across the board.  We can do better than constantly using violent metaphors which could encourage people predisposed to violence to act on it regardless of ideation.

But the story of the abysmal mental health system is rarely assessed or paid attention to. It is largely ignored until such tragedies take place.  First of all, there were plenty of warning signs that Jared Loughner is mentally ill & predisposed to violence.  Yet, nothing was done to get him into treatment before this tragedy took place.  Arizona even has laws which allow for involuntary commitment before violent acts are committed. 

Studies have shown that people with psychiatric disorders who adhere to treatment and stay on medication are no more likely to commit violent crimes than the general population.  Yet, state & federal budgets for mental health are the 1st to see the axe and many community mental health centers are working with the same funding they had in the 70s.  Until recently, there was no parity for mental health treatment by insurance companies. Psychiatric facilities are closed and community followup is almost nonexistent.  As a result, many people with these illnesses are often warehoused in our prison system living in squalor and getting little real treatment.  Or, many of them are found untreated in the streets, or families are forced deal with severe cases without much support.

We can do better.