It takes a village?

There are numerous random yet related thoughts cascading through my pea-brain after perusing through the sewer of social media, the general media and the expectant reactions to current events from Florida.

It goes without saying that both sides of the disarmament debate come out in predictable fashion on the normal talking points.  The gun grabbers don't wait for the smoke to clear and blood to flow before insisting that America needs to "turn them all in"!  Those cherishing this country's foundation, freedom and the Constitution quickly offer the rebuttals.

One aspect that is increasingly bothering me is the ramping up rhetoric over mental illness.  Please don't misunderstand where I'm going; Mental illness is a very real danger and does need to be addressed.  Unfortunately this is a general issue that has been increasing for years and for many debatable reasons.
What concerns me is the high potential for the "mental illness" aspect to become a slippery slope of denial of freedoms.  What is mental illness?  Who defines it?  We've already witnessed the prior administration try to limit veterans.   According to Joyless Behar, those who profess a faith in Christ are mentally ill.
Are we being subvertly herded into that corner?  I believe those who are in the positions of (real) power on the side of reducing the common person's freedoms know that the cliche anti-gun arguments don't work.  Time for another approach.
What's the old saying about getting a neighbor to agree to putting up a fence?  Make him think it was his idea!
So, back to mental illness.  Almost every one of these killers has had someone in their lives that knew  that something was askew.  Hildabeast wrote a book a number of years ago about it taking a village to raise a child.  While I don't subscribe to probably ANYTHING that woman (I use that term loosely) believes, perhaps the key to this problem is friends/ family members to be more proactive, not intrusive oversight by a rigid government with un-ending laws and regulations.  Yeah, I'm being idealistic.  I'm coming from a perspective of one who has a teenage stepson who doesn't present with "mental illness", but I know he has some serious anger issues.  When he is in my home, any firearms I may or may not have are locked away.  We have made it a point to not let him be aware that there may be firearms in the house.  I don't want to be "that guy" that allowed someone access to things with which they could create carnage.

I don't know what the general, legislative answer is.  I do know that a depraved heart separate from the redeeming and renewing work of Christ is capable of evil beyond our imaginations.