The recent discussions linking gun violence and mental illness, while understandable given some recent tragedies, are not supported by the facts. Unfortunately, this linkage has the potential to reinforce the idea that mentally ill people are often dangerous to others and are responsible for most gun violence. While both serious mental illness and gun violence warrant public-health discussions and may overlap in some cases, we must emphasize that gun violence and mental illness are clearly different issues.

Mental illness and gun violence are less linked than tragedies such as Sandy Hook lead the public to believe. For example, a study from Georgetown University shows that more than 95 percent of gun homicides were not directly related to mental health issues. Further, people with mental health diagnoses are not more likely to commit violence. In fact, people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators. The combination of current substance abuse and a history of violence, in those with or without mental illness, is most likely to predict future violence. Discussions on gun control should more specifically address how to identify those with a history of violence, regardless of mental health issues.