Guns and the "mentally ill"?

Question

I was looking at the basic gun laws for each state and noticed NY says you can't buy a handgun if you have ever "suffered any mental illness"

Does this mean a 28 year old woman wouldn't be allowed to own a handgun because she suffered from postpartum depression when she had a kid at 18?

Does this mean if someone, as a child, is diagnosed with the popular ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which occurs in up to 10% of the population accoding to the National Institutes of Health, they're not allowed to own a handgun in NY?

Does this mean if someone suffers from one of the many anxiety disorders, such as Acrophobia (fear of heights), Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), that they're not allowed to own a handgun in NY? A study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that up to 18% of the population suffers from these types (phobias) of anxiety disorders and are the #1 most common mental illness for women, #2 for men over 25.

Gypsy Girl: ADHD is kinda unique in that everything about it is heavily questioned. From its vague list of symptoms which allows its diagnoses to be extremely subjective and inclusive (the fact that this life-long illness is present in up to 10% of the population (according to the National Institutes of Health)) seems to support this), to its treatment, to whether it is in fact even a disorder. It's not like schizophrenia or some such where nobody (except anti-psychiatry people) really question it.

mainah: The National Institute of Mental Health says phobias are the #1 most common mental illness in women of all ages, #2 most common in men above 25. So your claim that phobias aren't considered mental illnesses isn't supported by reality. And it doesn't say "if (you're dangerous/have lingering symptoms/etc) ". It says "...ever suffered any mental illness" Any. Ever.

Larry: I wouldn't mind a *supported* answer to any of those.

Answer 1

WHAT THE **** ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!!

Answer 2

It depends on the state you live in. In Massachusetts where I live, it means whatever the licensing authority - the local police chief - wants it to mean. In states like mine (called "may-issue" states) the laws are such that a license can be denied for any reason that the local chief wants. So, even though the law asks if you have ever been committed to a loony bin, or likewise had real psychological issues, it can mean something else entirely. Being on prozac, or being treated for depression, or having any hint of any level of difficulty or indiscretion in your past (maybe a drunk or disorderly charge or a pot bust in college, for example) will effectively make you ineligible to own a gun, if the local chief is against private gun ownership. There was a news story a couple years ago of a retired guy that was denied a license for stealing a chicken during the great depression whn he was a kid. So you see that the laws become an issue based on who interprets them. In states with more Constitutional gun laws the line is clearer. Unless you're a convict, or have been actually committed against your will to an asylum, you're OK to own a gun. It sounds good to say "the mentally ill" can't have guns but in practice that really means very little unless you know what the ground rules are.

Answer 3

Personally, I don't think it's fair to judge someone's behavior based on their mental illness. The diagnoses often depend on the grinding INTERNAL feelings a person has, that they report to the doc, and the only external symptoms are sleeping too much or talking too fast. I have bipolar disorder and I own guns and I am a safe person. In fact, it is very rare for any woman to commit a violent crime. Substance abuse is more of a problem with gun violence if you are going to talk about a mental illness.

The number one predictor of violence is whether a person has committed violence in the past. Mental illness diagnosis is a poor predictor. Obviously, there are some people who are just not compentent, but they tend to live in a supportive housing environment like a group home.

There are lots of places I cannot legally own a gun, Hawaii and Texas crossing my mind. I think a lot of these laws are based on people who have been bullied all their lives (severe social rejection) and snap. The violence is a product of being mistreated and having poor coping mechanisms, and not any particular mental illness diagnosis.

A couple of studies have been done and showed that people with mental illness do not commit more crime, but are at much higher risk to be victimized by others. If a person with mental illness also abuses drugs, then they are at a more elevated risk of violence than other people who use drugs (but they also commit more violence).

To be sure, taking guns away from men ages 18 to age 40 would be more sensible than taking them from someone because they actually go to the doc for their depression/anxiety/bipolar disorder. Even some people with schizophrenia who take their meds are very compentent people, tho on average that illness is most disabling.

Personally, I favor little gun control, about the level it is now, but less capricious and discriminatory.

Answer 4

As regards the meaning of mental illness in the minds of those who wrote up the law, I don't know. Most phobias are not considered mental illnesses. I have a fear of heights , and am not crazy about spiders or snakes, but that isn't a mental illness, unless it becomes irrational and prevents me from functioning as a human being in society, which would be rare. Agoraphobia, or fear of open spaces or going out in public is a mental illness, as it effects ones ability to function in society. If your Post partum has left you with a lingering depression or mood swings , then it does effect how you might use a gun. If you suffer from seizures or blackouts, you might not remember what you've done with a gun. The same law should apply to people who have committed crimes while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as it acts on the mind to create a situation that otherwise wouldn't occur. If you are abusing drugs you are a danger with a gun. Addiction is in some peoples DNA, so they may consider those that have an addictive behavior as having a mental illness. I think the law is a good one. Owning a gun, means that someone or something will get shot. What's needed as protection, can be turned on you as a weapon that the perpetrator might not otherwise have had to use. Guns are bad wether you have a mental illness or not.

Answer 5

First it's a Federal Form. The question about mental illness asks if the applicant has every been committed voluntarily or involuntarily to a mental institution. The FBI is now compiling a database of people who fit this category. A bill has just passed congress that allows a person to challenge their mental competance rating by challenging the database entry in the event of recovery. Another questions asks if the applicant every abuses or is addicted to drugs or alcohol. If you lie and are found out on this Federal Form 4473, there's a 10 year jail sentence waiting for you.

Answer 6

The proliferation of bogus mental disorders is part of the leftist ("liberal") plan to enslave the people and ultimately destroy the cultural heritage of the agglomerated Anglo-Saxon-Celtic-Nordic-Greco-Roman-Slavic (in other words, white) races.

Confiscate the guns, put everyone on prozac, elevate the emasculated metro-sexual male to a cultural icon, subsidise the criminal elements, the crack-head welfare bums, the bottom-feeders and genetic mutants, and most deviously, kill off the strong - why else would the left still be funding a war it purports to condemn, except to cripple a generation of our best and bravest? Thank you, madame speaker & co.

In the old days there was no attention-deficit rubbish - kids were just plain stupid, and if you were really stupid, you just might be a retard. Either way you were left to rot in the gutter, and when all you could do was rob a liquor store and shoot the clerk, you got the chair at sing-sing. Those were the good old days!

Answer 7

The burden of proof lies with the government. The gun dealer will run a background check on you. If you are mental case by their standards, you'll be in the database. If you are denied, no big deal. I've been a gun dealer for over 20 years and have never known anyone that has been busted & jailed for submitting false information on a Form 4473 (yellow gun form). The government needs to enforce the gun laws that are already on the books, and stop pissing my tax dollars away on new laws that won't be enforced.

Have a nice day.

Answer 8

You have touched on the subject (gun control) that it is critical to understand the repercussions of passing such wide parameter laws.

As you elude to. Where do we draw the line? It is very subjective what is defined as mentally ill.

If I was a little depressed that someone close to me passed and I saw a Dr to discuss... does that qualify as mentally ill? Is there a period of time that I am no longer considered mentally ill?

For me, there needs to be a clear set of diagnosis and treatment codes that would be part of the law in order for this to be effective.

Answer 9

The law's worded poorly, and it's New York, where you can't say anything for sure, but in general, the interpretation has always been that you've been adjudged in court to be a threat to self or the public by reason of mental incapacity. Of course, NYC is one of those places where people have been arguing that the second amendment doesn't mean what it says, so there's no telling how a judge will interpret the law next time it comes up.

Answer 10

I work for Compeer, which is a thing like Big Brothers Big Sisters, only it's for people with mental illness, and it's for all ages. One of the things the training manual says is that you should never do an activity that involves firearms. Compeer deals with all mental illness, so I would assume that anyi mental illness falls under the "suffered from mental illness" category. The only way to get around it is to not go see a doctor about it.

Answer 11

This is the exact intrupritation that the Clitless Hillary is wanting to force down the Americans throat. If she gets her way, she will force the medical community to issue 'medical cards' that are encoded with the patients complete history. She has already said she wants the medical community to diagnose more mental issues such as depression and post partum and all the phobias...Then when ANYONE wants to purchase a firearm they will be required to submit their medical card as well as their identity card for 'approval'. Everyone with the hint of a medically diagnosed mental issue will be turned down.

Medical gun control....Look for it after the Clitlesses win...

Bill Clit-ton; the little boy with his finger in the DIKE....