How many here have had gun violence affect their lives?

[MadCrow]

54. Small Town Violence

I lived in a small rural town that could be described as a wide spot in the road.
My next door neighbor ( my son-in-law's sister) was shot and killed by her ex-husband. He was a former small town city policeman.
The teen-age boy across the street committed suicide with a gun.
My 56 year old son who has a history of mental problems was arrested for brandishing a weapon. Luckily he didn't shoot anybody. The first time he did this he was put under house arrest and forced to wear a bracelet around his foot for six months so he could be monitored. I had several guns in my home, so I gave them all to my other son to keep under lock and key. We told my son he could not have any more weapons. Unbeknownst to us, he went about a mile down the road and purchased a 357 Magnum from a so-called friend. Armed with this gun, he went after the same individual again and threatened him. He shot into the air and luckily again no one was injured. He was arrested, deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and after spending six months in the regional jail, was finally sent to a state facility for a full mental evaluation. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and after being on prescribed medication for six months was released. He was supposed to go to a local clinic for follow-up appointments which he did for a while. All they did was hand him a new prescription for medication and send him on his way. After a few months he quit taking his medication and although he is delusional and rants and raves, there is no way I can force him to take his medicine or go to the clinic because he is an adult. My only option is to call the law and have him arrested. But since he has committed no crime, he will be evaluated again, probably given new medication and released within 2 weeks. I am afraid to let him out of my sight because getting a gun around is easy; everybody I know has several. I don't know what to do. I am at my wits end.