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Ex-Mayor Giuliani Speaks Out In Wake Of Tucson Shootings

NEW YORK( WCBS 880) -- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday that lawmakers should examine gun control and the handling of the mentally ill in the wake of last weekend's shootings in Tucson.

Giuliani said the key to preventing incidents like the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others is by identifying and treating people who clearly have a mental illness, reports WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola.

"The most relevant problem was the lack of ability to deal with what was apparently paranoid schizophrenia or schizophrenia that was supposed to be treated," Giuliani said.

The former mayor, appearing Sunday on "Face the Nation," said years ago, former New York Senator Daniel Moynihan complained about the lack of help for mentally ill people released after state hospitals were closed.

"There was supposed to be a follow-up – which was treatment in the community, monitoring, medicines – and that follow-up has never taken place," Giuliani said.

Giuliani said that follow-up is needed now, particularly in the wake of the rampage in Tucson that left six dead and 13 injured.

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