Why are people with mental disorders allowed to purchase guns?

Question

Shouldn't society ban individuals with a history of mental disorders from purchasing or even using fire arms? Why on earth are we selling people who are mentally ill machines that kill?

I NEVER said I believed in banning guns from society. Don't put words in my mouth (you know who you are). I think there should be a data base that runs your mental health history along with your criminal history (if there be one) prior to purchasing a gun.

Answer 1

because of idiot groups like the ACLU who fight for criminals rights, and do much less for the victims.

Welive in a country with toomuch ways to take advantage of the freedoms not everyone deserves.

The ACLU fought against New Yorks subway random searches.
Every year a great number of people in New York just up and disappear.
Authorities want to conduct random searches which is only a good thing.
The ACLU is the first to argue against it - like they always do.

Then every Sharpton Jesse Jackson wannbe gets on the bandwagon and it becomes a political game that no politician wants to play.

Everyone, thank the ACLU for all their wonderful efforts to blemish our soceity more than it already is

Answer 2

There was a law on the books called the Brady Bill. Originally it required all fedrall licensed dealers to perform a background check and to not release the gun without a five day waiting period. In 1997 it was challenged, and then in 1998 the law expired without being renewed.
In it's place is a law requiring a background check (including a check to see if the person had ever been held in a mental health facility) before the gun can be purchased, and it was left up to each individual state to enforce the law.
Virginia does not enforce that law.

Answer 3

They are barred by law from having firearms. In theory, the computerized background check should pick this up, but Congress has never funded the reporting system. This is one area where the NRA and the anti-gun groups may actually agree. Also, one must fill out a form when purchasing a firearm, and this document attests that you have, among other things, no mental disorder or legal prohibition. On the other hand, it's perfectly legal for them to buy a car, and they're much deadlier machines.

Answer 4

It varies by state, in my state mental illness means you can't buy a gun, Apparently in Virginia its only if you have been hospitalized for mental illness.

However in my state it also means people who might feel a little depressed will not go for treatment because then they would have to give up their gun....so that makes it sort of counterproductive?? Just like a person with seizure disorder lies about having a siezure within the last year so they can keep their driving license.

It's easy to place blame when you don't think about the possibilities out there.

Answer 5

Should we stop them from driving too that could be a deadly machine? Chain saws, drills, guns don't kill people, people kill people. This society is so confused. Switchblades are illegal in many states and you'll be hard pressed to find one
but folks are riding around with uzi's in their cars and they look like everyday people not thugs. Society would ban a lot of things but this country is run by lobbyist not society. What I can't figure out is how did a entire city decide there was something wrong with the dude but we're just going to leave him alone? I would have been too creeped out to be his roommate!

Answer 6

This guy should have never been allowed to purchase a gun. The solution is simple -- require a background check that includes mental health history. A psychiatrist can rule whether a certain person is mentally fit to own a firearm.

Answer 7

Well, the history consisted of one blurb on his record.

Being that everybody has bad days, and some may need counseling at those times, should we ban all of those people too?

History implies repeated offenses. This was not really the case.

Disturbing trends maybe, but not mental disorder commitments.

This just goes to show that you never know what might happen, so enjoy life to the fullest now.

Answer 8

In order to buy a firearm in the United States you are required to fill out a form to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). The form asks about your mental condition in question #12.f. Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective (which includes having been adjudicated incompetent to manage your own affairs) or have you ever been committed to a mental institution?

Therefore, people who have been judged in a court of law to be mentally defective or have been committed to a mental institution, can not legally buy or possess firearms.

But, imho judges are reluctant to commit individuals and doctors would rather handle people on a out-patient basis.........no commitment = no prohibition on firearms.

In the recent news in Virginia, there was a man who "persons in authority" stated wrote of disturbing things - these people obviously did not take appropriate actions based on what they saw.

Source: ATF

Answer 9

because gun shops dont keep a search database of mentally ill persons, they do have one of criminal records, but some mentally ill persons dont have no criminal record, such as CHo did.... there is a bill by a politician...... who is trying to pass such law as to make it a law for gunshops to do a mental health background check on individual buying a gun..... This is something good that might come out of this..... If this helps prevent one death, then it is a good law

Answer 10

Technically in Virginia he should not have been able to purchase a gun. He was involuntarily admitted to a mental institution. He lied the lie was not caught. But this case aside, how do you know if someone is mentally ill? Most people get along quite a few crazy years before someone picks up on it. I wonder how many crazies are out there completely undetected. Then they go and do something crazy and we go, oh yeah duh, that was so obvious.

Answer 11

Why are people without mental disorders not allowed to purchase guns to carry around? Cho would have been stopped by anybody who was carrying a gun and he wouldn't have killed more than 1 or 2 people.

If we ban gun sales, criminals will get them on the black market. Only law-abiding citizens that need to defend themselves will be unarmed.