Before we link gun ownership and mental health, we should deal with the health issue.
Democrats want to allow the mentally ill people to roam the streets instead of being confined in a facility where they can be helped without causing harm to others.
Republicans don't want to pay for those facilities, so no place exists where help can be offered and the necessary medications are supplied.
Just as there are extremists on the left who want gun ownership limited regardless of the legal and upstanding behavior of the majority of owners, there are extremists on the right who want no restrictions of any kind regardless of someone's mental state or background of violent behavior.
How can we find common ground?