Letter: Information missing in gun rights discussion

In a recent letter on gun rights versus human rights, critical information was missing - the drug use that's part of American culture. Only 5% of the world's population use illegal drugs. In contrast, 21.9% of Americans ages 12 and older use illicit drugs, or use legal drugs illegally. These statistics come from recent surveys by the United Nations and federal government. The U.S. percentage is up from 2007, when 14% reported illicit drug use.

Those who argue that mental health, not guns, is the cause of our societal violence, need to get realistic about mental health care in the United States. There are no universally accepted standards, as there are for heart disease, diabetes or other illnesses. Treatment is tricky, takes time and is rarely resolved with the magic pills people expect.

Even those who don't agree that a large percentage of mental illness is caused by drug use can agree that drug use makes mental illness worse. If you greatly restrict gun ownership, psychotic drug users will resort to knives, vehicles and other methods of destruction. Little can be done if someone refuses mental health care and we lack the political will to change that.

Current American policies, especially in San Francisco and West Coast cities, encourage drug use by treating it like a human right. Little is done to prevent drug use or force people into treatment, because the right to use drugs is protected over the public's right to safety.

Though the U.S. doesn't have a tracking system for severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, it's likely that our rates are higher than elsewhere, due to more drug use.

Julie Schauer

Glen Ellyn