People With Mental Illness Target of New Gun Law
Psychiatr News February 1, 2008
Volume 43, Number 3, page 1
© 2008 American Psychiatric Association
In government news, supporters of a new gun-control law claim it might have prevented the deaths of 32 people last year in a massacre at Virginia Tech carried out by a student who was mentally ill. Some psychiatrists, however, say the law falls short as a meaningful way to reduce gun violence. The psychiatrists point is further proven with the recent shooting at NIU where the gunman had legally bought all FOUR of his weapons while being medicated for a mental illness.
This debate stems from President George W. Bush’s signing of a measure in January intended to prevent people with serious mental illness from buying guns.
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FOID is an acronym for Firearm Owners Identification. Residents of the state of Illinois are required to have an FOID card to possess or purchase firearms or ammunitio.
Kazmierczak, the gunman from the NIU shooting, had a state police-issued FOID, a firearms owners identification card, which is required in Illinois to own a gun and that such cards are rarely issued to those with recent mental health problems. However, the only questions pertaining to an individual who is mentally disabled are question 3 and 5 on the FOID application.
Because one would have to “provide detailed documentation” if they answer yes, wouldn’t it be easier to just say no? And why five years? Is it proven that five years after being hospitalized for a mental condition that you are cured of your mental illness? I thought the cure came from the medication. Why don’t they ask if one is currently being treated for a mental illness, wouldn’t that make more sense? Isn’t it wrong then to say that the FIOD is not given out to those who are mentally ill?
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katieneis on An Opinion Piece giddingsgirl on FACTS SBriggs on People With Mental Illness Tar… riceman603 on People With Mental Illness Tar…
Yeah, I agree the background checks are unclear and too easy to get around. I think people’s medical records should be a part of the background checks for guns. Don’t you think drugs like Prozak and Zoloft should be red-flagged in these checks? It seems like an easy way to weed out possibly dangerous purchasers.
Have you considered the number of people on Prozak and Zoloft? I think it’ usage is more prevalent than you may think making the idea of using those drugs as red flags much more complicated than it seems to be at first.