Response from Congressman Murphy

**grannas211** · January 16th, 2013, 12:53 AM

Just thought I'd post the reply I got:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Like you, I am profoundly shocked and saddened over the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Words could never truly express our nation's grief over this traumatic loss of life. From the outpouring of emails and letters, I know this tragedy has hit close to home emotionally for parents and children in our community and so many of us are looking for solutions.

The President has appointed Vice President Joe Biden to head up a task force of Cabinet members and representatives from special interest organizations to make legislative recommendations for school safety, gun control, and mental health this month. Soon thereafter, the President will present his plan to Congress. In the coming weeks, Congress will be examining these recommendations, as well as taking a closer look at why mass shootings occur, whether tragedies like Newtown can be prevented, and what appropriate policies the federal government should act on.

There will be no simple fix, no one single solution, to ending these types of tragedies. The reasons why an individual acts out in a violent manner, killing innocent victims on a mass scale, are extraordinarily complex and involve many different aspects of public policy and the law. And while there is sure to be political grandstanding throughout this debate, I pledge to approach this effort with the seriousness it requires and I remain open to reviewing all of the data presented. The families of Newtown, indeed all families across our nation, deserve no less from their elected officials.

A main policy focus I will be working on is in the mental health arena. Prior to holding elected office, I served as a board certified practicing psychologist specializing in child and family treatment. I have worked with patients and countless families in crisis trying to help a loved one with mental illness. I mention this because in all of these recent events of mass violence, we know the perpetrators had a mental illness. I know that far too often, well-meaning relatives or caring parents find themselves overwhelmed, scared, or even in the dark about their family member's mental condition. While the vast majority of persons with schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder are not violent, the presence of such disorders in these assailants demands additional research, investigation, and understanding as to what went wrong. In doing so, we help all families that are right now struggling through a broken system and do not have the tools on their own to deal with these difficult circumstances.

I've enclosed an article I wrote, published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 30th, about the areas in mental health policy in need of improvements in the wake of the Newtown tragedy. I hope you will read it and share your thoughts with me. If you are interested in receiving my email newsletter describing important votes and key committee activity, I invite you to visit my website at http://murphy.house.gov and sign up.

I didn't enclose the article as it is in PDF form and not a link. I can however post it if anyone is interested.

**Gman106** · January 16th, 2013, 01:09 AM

Whoa, for a minute there, I thought this was sent by Patrick Murphy, a gun-grabbing douche from the 8th district in Bucks County. Then I remembered he's no longer in Congress after having his ass handed to him but Republican Mike Fitzpatrick back in 2010.

Looks like your Murphy may be a bit more reasonable based in his response.

**GeneCC** · January 16th, 2013, 02:26 AM

He's OK. He's a bright man.

**hawk87** · January 16th, 2013, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Gman106

Whoa, for a minute there, I thought this was sent by Patrick Murphy, a gun-grabbing douche from the 8th district in Bucks County. Then I remembered he's no longer in Congress after having his ass handed to him but Republican Mike Fitzpatrick back in 2010.

Looks like your Murphy may be a bit more reasonable based in his response.

Yes Patrick Murphy was a problem. This is why I say there is no blanket assurance that a veteran, just because they served is a guaranteed friend of liberty and gun rights. Patrick Murphy was an Iraq war veteran and got a lot of mileage out of that fact during his run for congress.