In the 1980's, then President Reagan started the de-regulation and de-funding of our mental health system. It has spiraled out of control since then. My mother was an RN, and worked for 10 years in the psychiatric ward of her hospital. (in the 1990's.) There are not enough places to put all the people, and 99% of the state run hospitals/asylums/institutions have been shut down. Big Pharmacia has promoted this, because they want everyone to be medicated. But guess what? No one can afford their sh*t, and half the nut-cases stop taking the meds once they "feel better." This is especially true of schizophrenics, because the meds make them groggy and feel awful, so they go off them once they feel "normal." They soon relapse, worse than ever! There are more people than ever in this country, and instead of more mental institutions we have less than ever before.....but plenty of drugs which only the elite or people on welfare can afford.
99% of the "mass murder" or "spree killings" like in movie theaters, schools, etc are committed by paranoid, delusional, schizophrenics, who stole weapons from family that they knew legally had them somewhere. The rest are THUGS and gang-bangers, or addicts using weapons to steal money for illegal drugs.