The gun safety law forged through tense bipartisan talks in the Senate last month has been heralded as the first federal legislation in 30 years to combat rising gun violence. But what often falls below the radar is the new law’s focus on improving mental health services.
The pairing of these initiatives in the legislation spearheaded by a small group of senators after the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, was a result of Republicans’ insistence that any gun reform effort must also address mental health, even as Democrats disavowed a connection between the two concerns.
A central question about this heightened level of investment is whether it can make a difference in the nation’s struggle to combat gun violence. Here’s a look at key mental health aspects in the new law.
What’s in the Legislation
Other allocations include:
The new law also provides up to $8.6 billion in funding over 10 years to support the build-out of certified community behavioral health clinics in every state in the U.S. These types of clinics, which already exist in 10 states as part of a pilot Medicaid program, are required to see people regardless of their insurance coverage and treat them for mental health or substance use issues. States would need to apply to participate in the program, which would begin in 2024.
How Useful Are These Mental Health Programs and When Will They Start?
“There are lots of little opportunities in this bill, but it’s hard to tell as a whole” if it will be useful at improving mental health, said Domino.
Some of the funding will begin this year and continue for four or five years. Other spending streams may not start until 2024. That’s typical since government funding must be planned years in advance. But it raises questions about how quickly mental health programs can be beefed up.
Still, advocates and researchers emphasized that more money going toward mental health will likely be beneficial since programs are severely underfunded across the U.S.
Will It Stem Gun Violence?
It depends on how you define gun violence, said Swanson.
The new law also provides funding for states, which can be used to implement red flag laws, which have been shown to reduce suicide rates. These types of laws, now on the books in 19 states and the District of Columbia, allow for family members, police, or doctors to petition a court to ask to temporarily remove guns for up to a year from people who they fear may be at risk of harming themselves or others.
But experts acknowledge that the mental health spending may not do as much to stop the gun violence that’s manifested through mass shootings, such as in Uvalde, at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May, and during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
“The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent,” said Swanson.
