Long past time to reopen th emental hospitals closed in the 1970s. When that happened and the crazies declared sane enough to walk the streets, mass murders took off like a rocket.
I can only remember THREE mass killings between 1949 and 1969.
Howard Unruh in 1949 Luger pistol.
Richard Speck killed 8 student nurses with a KNIFE.
Charles Whitman the Texas Tower shooter with a bolt action rifle.
I don’t believe that any of them were declared sane. It was more of an “inclusivity” push from the democrats. Remember in those days they were pushing the whole self-esteem dogma, and being locked up was stigmatizing negative effect to one’s self esteem.
I don’t recall who sponsored this law but I bet Ted Kennedy was involved.
Also it didn’t help that there were several high profile cases coming out about the abusive and inhumane conditions that were happening at some of these facilities
There must be more than that. The Charles Manson murders were 1969.