Prevalence and Age-of-Onset of Mental Disorders
"Unlike most disabling physical diseases, mental illness begins very early in life. Half of all lifetime cases begin by age 14; three quarters have begun by age 24. Thus, mental disorders are really the chronic diseases of the young. For example, anxiety disorders often begin in late childhood, mood disorders in late adolescence, and substance abuse in the early 20's. Unlike heart disease or most cancers, young people with mental disorders suffer disability when they are in the prime of life, when they would normally be the most productive."
So more than 25% of the people with a potential for mental illnesses could pass a background check regarding mental stability, buy a gun, and subsequently become unstable.
Legal age requirements before purchasing a gun then? That would seem to be a simple common sense solution that wouldn't cost a lot of money to implement. People are already required to produce a state-issued ID in order buy alcohol for example. If 3/4ths of mental illnesses manifest by age 24 as you say, simply prohibit the sale or possession of a firearm by anyone 24 or younger. It wouldn't catch everyone but if it puts a dent in the number of these mass shooters that can get a gun it would be worth it.
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