Donald Trump attempts to blame the Florida school shooting on mental illness rather than access to guns. But he forgot something. Update!

So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018

Yeah, if only somebody had notified the authorities that this young man had mental health problems.

Oh wait they did:

Everyone knew Nikolas Cruz was deeply disturbed. He'd been in and out of mental health treatment. He'd been kicked out of school. His Instagram page was full of photos of dead animals and weapons. He was so frightening to teachers that he'd been banned from even carrying a backpack into school.

But then again thanks to you that wouldn't have helped, would it?

Courtesy of Vox: 

It did not attract a ton of attention at the time (nothing does these days) but about a year ago on February 28, 2017, Congress passed and Donald Trump signed a law revoking an Obama-era regulatory initiative that made it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun. 

Yet despite this effort to roll back even a very modest effort to restrain the ability of seriously incapacitated people from obtaining deadly weapons, this morning Trump tweeted that there were “so many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed,” implying that someone should have done something to report him.

But it’s Trump’s party — and Trump himself — who have consistently prevented the federal government from doing anything about this kind of situation.

Well that's awkward.

However not all people diagnosed with a mental illness are inherently dangerous, nor can you be sure that just because somebody has not been been diagnosed with a mental illness that they are safe either.

People with seemingly perfect mental health encounter a stressful situation which pushes them over the edge, and out of control, every single day in this country.

For most of us that typically results in some possible property destruction, harsh words, and perhaps a lost job or damaged relationship. But if you have access to a firearm, suddenly your brief break from mental health can be a life changing event with a potential deadly outcome.

However do you know what IS a fairly reliable indicator that somebody is dangerous and should not have access to firearms?

Being a white supremacist.

Courtesy of The Daily Beast: 

 Nikolas Cruz, the alleged gunman who killed at least 17 people at a Florida high school on Wednesday, trained with a white-supremacist group, its leader told the Anti-Defamation League. Jordan Jereb of the Republic of Florida told ADL that Cruz had participated in at least one training exercise near Tallahassee area, carpooling with other ROF members from south Florida. ADL reports the group describes itself as a “white civil rights organization fighting for white identitarian politics” and seeks to create a “white ethnostate” in Florida. 

So if Donald Trump really wants to keep us safe, perhaps he should not only keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers (Which would include members of his White House.), the mentally ill (No gun for you Donald!), but also white supremacists (You know, Trump's base.)

That would be a good start at least. And it would certainly have saved the children in this school.

Update: And the plot thickens.

Nikolas Cruz

 Of course, of course he was a Trump supporter.

Update 2: I think Trump should have to sit in a room with this mother and listen to her until she can no longer form words.

You know after Sandy Hook President Obama visited with ALL of the parents of those slain children, and spent real time with them listening to their pain, and literally crying with them.

After that he went out and really tried to change the laws to protect those kids, and he was blocked at every turn by the Republicans.

Donald Trump really could do something here, he has the GOP running scared from him, but sadly we know he won't.