Why is it still possible to sell guns to known mentally unstable people in the USA?

reinformer

It falls under the presumption of innocent. He was not convicted of a crime, had no record. Voluntary admission to a mental health center does not automatically 'flag' a person . Only the councilor and director can do that. Obviously, with him on the medication and councilling, they felt he was able to rejoin society and was discharged. We have no idea what expired afterwards and must wait for more info to come out of the investigation.

Leogirl0804

mentally unstable people do not wear a sign.

chris m

How is it possible to tell...maybe we should tatoo it on their foreheads. Think before exposing your lack of intelligence.

irene k

can you tell who is mentally unstable.....................

Reported for insulting my belief

That I guess is up to the gun dealer but then again how is that person to know??? As for private sales you never know who you are selling it to.

baby1

Because people / choe lied on the form they/ he filled out.

Although there is a question that asks if you've been deemed to have mental illness, the store used an insta check method that will only flag someone who's been charged with a felony.

Baby Dolls

~Because they are still unknown.~

joyce s

MONEY comes before common sense or ethics. Look at the goverment.

Joy

Because we can't see thru people,we don't wear labels and no one knows what someone is thinking when when you buy a gun and they certainly don't tell anyone

Chucklehead

Oh boy....everyone already said it. You can't have it BOTH ways, either you have NO rights (Homeland Security, Wiretapping, Big Brother) or you have rights (ACLU, privacy). Pick one and realize that inherent problems will follow either way.

N. Cognito

The greater good dictates that we have access to arms and privacy. For any situation, someone will find a way around the intent; that's what makes a criminal a criminal. There is no way to prevent ALL criminal activity without putting everyone in a padded box surrounded by security cameras.

shark805

Its not, however, he was voluntarily admitted for mental care and that's why it didn't show up on his record. Also, many who met him didn't know the extent of his illness.

Bubba 'Neck

Anothe gun myth. It is illegal for someone with a Federal Firearms License to knowingly sell a gun to someone with a mental health problem.

badkitty1969

Define "known". Does everyone where you live "know" whether or not you are or aren't mentally stable? Is it tattooed across your forehead, or do you carry a card in your wallet? And are you talking about the legal gun dealers, private sellers who sell one or two weapons per year and aren't regulated, or the thousands of illegal gun dealers around the country who don't really care as long as they get paid?

Here in the DC area (including MD and VA), there aren't really any gun shops, and the local gun laws have always been stricter here. But everyone seems to have lots and lots of guns. And we also seem to have more than our share of crazy people and criminals here (look at Congress). Increased regulation of firearms isn't really going to make any difference.

LXC

For the love of money :)

eldude

Because the people who sell the guns do not have the right to find out if someone is mentally ill. It's because another right, the right to privacy. This is where two rights collide and in the end, one right will be stronger and the other one weaker. If they choose to change the laws. Which privacy advocates say that when they take away a privacy right, it is a step toward a dictatorship or communism or something where the people have no rights because they lost the right to privacy. Privacy groups are so scared of losing the privacy rights they really do not care how many people die before the will allow a change in the privacy laws.

Sarge

Permission is required on gun applications to check for mental history, if the applicant declines, their history will not be checked.

The ACLU argued and won this right for the mental disturbed.

Do you feel safer?

thegubmint

Good thought. Let's starting branding anyone thought to be mentally unstable with a big M on their foreheads.

Start with anyone registered as a Democrat.

That should just about do it.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: