Tax bullets to pay for better mental health care

We tax cigarettes to offset some of the social costs of tobacco use. This is type of Pigovian Tax.

We could tax bullets to offset the direct costs of America's weapons glut, but it's hard to make up for murder. 

Better to prevent the murders.

So tax bullets to pay for better mental health care.

All psychiatrists, social workers and primary care physicians know what a train wreck American psychiatry mental health care is. Rich state, poor state, it's a train wreck everywhere. Families don't know what to do for impaired loved ones - because, often, there's nothing available.

There are many things that could be done. We lack will, and we lack money.

The money problem is easy to solve.

Tax the bullets.

See also:

• Be the Best You can Be: Violence and the natural history of Autism - so what do we know? 3/2009: We known almost nothing. Looking at this case history, I suspect "Andrew" had a childhood history of Asperger's followed by late adolescent onset of schizophrenia; atypical because of his preexisting connectopathy. In truth, however, our 21st century psychiatric classifications are the equivalent of 19th century medical classification.
• Gordon's Notes: Aurora - the rational response is better schizophrenia management 7/2012: Ebert and Collins links are, of course, just as relevant today. Same with my 7/12 posts.
• NRA Sets 1,000 Killed In School Shooting As Amount It Would Take For Them To Reconsider Much Of Anything | The Onion - America's Finest News Source 5/2012. Yep.
• When My Crazy Father Actually Lost His Mind - NYTimes.com 6/2012. A typical tour of American mental health. Nothing unusual about it.
• App.net thread on this topic, with appreciation to Clark G.