Targeting the mentally ill will create fear, prevent treatment

What Charlie Staadecker’s proposing is horrible [“Staadecker: Curb gun violence by keeping track of people who are mentally ill” seattletimes.com, Jan. 22].

The only people the government keeps track of and makes mandatory reporting on is sex offenders and to say that the mentally ill are on the same level as sex offenders is wrong.

If this took place, it would most likely do more harm than good, since most people who are admitted to mental hospitals do so voluntarily, because they believe they need help. If they knew that would put a target on their back and strip them of their Second Amendment rights, they probably wouldn’t seek the help they need. If this does pass, it will start a dangerous slope we may not be able to come back from.

Staadecker is targeting people born with an illness, something out of their control. What’s next? Banning the mentally ill from certain neighborhoods?

It’s obvious Seattle has a gun problem, but this isn’t the way to handle it.

--Henry Thomas, Bellingham