Rep. Mike Thompson, head of the House Democrats' panel addressing gun violence, introduced a multi-pronged measure Friday on mental health approaches to preventing tragedies like the murder of six students last week at UC Santa Barbara.
At a Capitol Hill press conference, Thompson, D-St. Helena, said the Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014 was "laser-focused on gun violence and mental health."
Work on the bill dates back to formation of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in January 2013 in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Thompson said in an interview the bill was not directly tied to any incident, but one provision — enabling law enforcement to temporarily seize firearms from a person posing an imminent risk of harm — "possibly could have applied to Santa Barbara," he said.
Elliot Rodger's parents, alarmed by his "retribution" video, were rushing to Isla Vista on May 23 when their son went on a rampage, fatally stabbing three people and shooting three others.
Thompson noted that mental illness was also a factor in the fatal shootings at Sandy Hook, in the movie theater in Aurora, Colo. and in the Tuscon, Ariz. supermarket parking lot, where then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were hit by bullets that killed six people.
But the mentally ill are more often crime victims than perpetrators, Thompson said. He also noted that mass murders attract attention, while more than 30 people a day in the United States are killed by someone with a gun.
Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, one of 24 Democratic co-sponsors of Thompson's bill, called for congressional action twice this week on the House floor.
Capps told a public radio station that the California Legislature is likely to act before Congress, suggesting that some "ingredients" of Thompson's bill could guide state lawmakers.
Thompson acknowledged again Friday that his first major proposal — expanding background checks on gun buyers — is stalled in a Republican-controlled House.
The Healthy Minds bill will be assigned to a committee, he said, expressing hope it could be enacted.
The bill directs funding to community mental health programs and restricts gun possession by people being treated for mental health problems.
"It's good public policy and it needs to be voted on," Thompson said.
Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane hailed Thompson's bill as a "great step in the right direction."
The proposed grant funding to expand community mental health programs could apply to things like the Mobile Support Team launched in Sonoma County almost two years ago in cooperation with the Santa Rosa Police Department and the Sheriff's Office, Zane said.
Zane said she pushed for the team, which supports law enforcement in the field during a behavioral health crisis, following the fatal shooting of Sebastopol teen Jeremiah Chass by two sheriff's deputies in 2007.
The county just received a $3 million state grant to expand the team's reach, Zane said.
She also applauded Thompson's bill for including support for crisis intervention and research on mental health and violence.
"What we know about mental health programs is that early intervention is best," Zane said.
Other provisions in the bill would:
Prohibit the purchase or possession of a firearm by people subject to involuntary outpatient commitment for mental health issues. Federal law now applies only to inpatient commitments.
Prohibit firearms possession by individuals convicted of misdemeanor stalking, a step endorsed by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women.
Establish standards for restoration of firearms rights to individuals who have lost those rights due to mental illness.
Improve the submission of mental health records into the national criminal background check system.
(You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.)
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