Contemporary Issues in Gun Policy: Essays from the RAND Gun Policy in America Project

In this article, part of RAND's Gun Policy in America project, the authors describe the nuanced picture relating mental illness with gun violence. For example, suicide risk is elevated among people with certain mental illnesses, but suicide among those with such diagnoses is still rare. Homicide risk is also elevated among people with certain mental conditions (e.g., schizophrenia) and among people with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use disorders, but these individuals still account for the minority of homicides and acts of mass violence in the United States. On the other hand, people with mental health conditions appear to be at increased risk for being victims of interpersonal violence.