Dear Editor:

In the United States, the rate of mental illness is the same as it is for all developed western countries. Our spending on mental health issues is in line with spending of all other developed western countries. Our crime rate is roughly the same. Yet, measured from 1966 through 2012, with only 4.5 percent of the world’s population, we had 31 percent of the world’s mass shooters. And the number of shooters has undoubtedly grown since six years ago.

Go figure.

Bruce MacDonald

Boothbay