Rauner on Florida school shooting: Mental illness must be addressed

Posted on February 20, 2018
Bruce Rauner
Gov. Bruce Rauner says more must be done to get treatment for the mentally ill. (WJBC file photo)

By RFD Radio/WFMB

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner is responding to last week’s school shootings in Florida by suggesting more can be done to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands.

“We all need to talk together as a community as a society, how can we prevent these tragedies in the future,” Rauner said. “How do we make sure guns are not in the hands of mentally ill (individuals), which seems to be an issue there or in the hands of criminals.

“We need to respect our Constitution, but there are things we can do and should talk about.”

Rauner said he will continue to focus on the mental health issue as a part of criminal justice reform.

“What I’m advocating is taking very strong action to deal with mental illness,” Rauner said. “It’s a major driver of criminal behavior and these tragedies and we want to be more proactive in identifying individuals who are suffering with mental illness and get them the help early to try to head off these problems.”

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