Mental illness is not a precursor for violence, nor is a moment of mental crisis a mental health diagnosis. All of us, at some point in our lives, will likely experience a mental health crisis. Someone experiencing a mental health crisis needs access to health care, not easy access to a gun. The forced evaluation in Maine’s current law may seem like an important factor, but it doesn’t make us safer. That’s why multiple state psychiatric and mental health associations have all endorsed passing this life-saving, common-sense law that empowers families.