Opinion Piece Slams NRA for Mental Health Registry Idea

After the school shooting in Newton, Conn., last month, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre proposed "a national registry for the mentally ill to prevent such individuals from buying guns," but such a registry "would provide for one thing: another barrier to mental health treatment," Michael Fitzgerald -- executive director of behavioral health services at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View -- writes in a Santa Cruz Sentinel opinion piece. He argues that "the largest barrier is stigma," adding, "We need to re-think how we label individuals and how we conceptualize care."

• "Michael Fitzgerald: Mental Health and Guns" (Fitzgerald, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 1/5).