It's not clear that this guy was mentally ill in a way that would have him put into such a State Hospital in the old days. We still don't know, or at least I don't, what "meds" he was previously on, or who prescribed them. Given that he was a grad student, first at NIU and then at U IL Champaign-Urbana, it could have been a student health center.W We also don't know what condition the "meds" were supposed to be treating.
There are a few who may suffer from some mild form of depression or other mental illness and are fine people. No threat at all. Then there is a core group who go in and out of in-patient units at hospitals, further stressing the ER's almost on a monthly basis. Their mental illness is their identity. It brings them attention, money and social services. Some may be dangerous, but most just need a kick in the pants or long term placements in the state hospitals. many in this group were in the hospitals, but have been moved into the community. the other percentage are just deadbeats playing the system for the meds and money and attention
Then, there is the last group. These are the people that are a serious danger. Some are very smart. Some are very stupid or delusional and/or psychotic. Throw in real paranoia mixed with a cocktail of hate, perversion and hallucinations and you have got some walking time bombs. The world owes them and they sit and fantasize about making the world pay.
Where are they, living in your community. The system is set up to discourage hospitalizations. Hospitalizations and jail time means failure for community services. The try to keep these people in the community to justify their jobs!
That's very true, though still the government can't and won't protect you. Witness the Virginia Tech case, an individual the shriks thought was a danger to self and others, a judge opted not to commit him, a bar to gun ownership. So much for the government. If they had, Virginia wouldn't have made that fact available to the instant check system, so he could have made an over the counter purchase anyway. A position supported by many gunowners. Not that he wouldn't have acquired a weapon illegally, murderers aren't deterred by gun laws.