The focus on mental illness is a part of a larger logic that the Republican Party has seized upon since the 1980s. In their view, mental illness means that you have an individual who is basically isolated, who has a mental health problem, and that this has nothing to do with the systemic considerations regarding the actual causes of violence. It's basically a problem that we can address through the lens of therapy and maybe some slight amelioration in our public health system. But the fact of the matter is that most of these shootings are not done by people who have mental health problems. This is not to say that mental health is not a crucial issue, but it's not an issue that should be linked to gun violence, it's an issue that should be linked to despair, and loneliness, and alienation that exist throughout society, and the lack of public health resources that address pandemics and other health problems that collectively discriminate against the most underserved populations.