Maybe I’m being overly harsh but, CNN has, in the last year or so, has several of their contributors/commentators offer opinions that run counter to CNN and the mainstream media’s long standing stance on the “evil” of guns. They even cancelled Piers Morgan’s failed crusade against guns which I’m not convinced that was just about ratings.

The latest sign of intelligence comes with an opinion piece from Mel Robbins. Quite frankly, I’m shocked they published it on their own website. Robbins rightly points out the recent rampage in California, a state that gets an A rating from the likes of the Violence Policy Center/Brady Campaign for it’s stringent gun laws. Like the recently departed head of Bloomberg’s Everytown For Gun Safety, Mark Glaze, she readily states that none of the proposed gun legislation could or would prevent the next mass shooting. California already has all those measures in place and yet, the most recent mass shooter jumped through every single one of those hoops.

Next time there’s a mass shooting, don’t jump to blame the National Rifle Association and lax gun laws. Look first at the shooter and the mental health services he did or didn’t get, and the commitment laws in the state where the shooting took place.

Strengthening gun control won’t stop the next mass shooter, but changing our attitudes, the treatment options we offer and the laws for holding the mentally unstable and mentally ill for treatment just might.

-Mel Robbins via Opinion: The real gun problem is mental health, not NRA – CNN.com.

Admittedly, Robbins does get into the touchy subjects of temporarily seizing guns from the mentally ill and background checks for all gun sales. But it’s not in the same tone as the like of Feinstein or Schumer who would conduct such seizures without due process.

But connecting the dots won’t help unless every gun sale is subject to an instant background check imposed on all licensed gun retailers.

And finally, the police need tools as well. They need training and the discretion to ask about and remove guns from any household where there is a domestic dispute, a call for a “well-being check,” or a person who exhibits violent or unstable behavior. They also need a mental health professional on call for such checks.

Connecticut, Indiana and, yes, even Texas have firearms seizure statutes aimed at dangerous persons. Laws like these enable the police to temporarily remove guns from someone who is exhibiting dangerous behavior until a judge can make a final determination on fitness for gun ownership based on evidence presented at a hearing.

-Mel Robbins via Opinion: The real gun problem is mental health, not NRA – CNN.com.

To her credit, she acknowledges something we’ve pointed out for years. That the vast majority of gun deaths in this country are by suicide rather than homicide. Further, she makes a very clear statement that gun control is not the answer. And that is perhaps what is most shocking. This opinion piece actually appears on CNN.com.

“… Indeed, mentally ill people only account for a small fraction of the gun deaths in America every year and the vast majority of those are suicide, not homicide. Violence by the mentally ill is usually a symptom of the untreated mental illness — that’s why access to treatment, not gun control, is the answer.”

-Mel Robbins via Opinion: The real gun problem is mental health, not NRA – CNN.com.

Indeed, we’ve long said that infringement on the rights of the law abiding was not the answer but, reading it on CNN’s website is rather shocking, no matter how many times we see it.

-GM