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Records of at least two million dangerously mentally ill individuals whose names should already be in the nation’s criminal background check system remain missing.
Tens of thousands of people's records that would fall into other legally disqualifying categories in the background check system are also missing, with convicted felons high on the list. Yet Raw Story confirmed with experts on gun control that records of those whose mental illness has been legally determined to be a danger to themselves or others far outnumber the unreported information of individuals in other prohibiting cate
Both Helmke and McCarthy’s office said that they have seen no evidence of the NRA outwardly opposing the funding.
“In fact,” Tarek added, “the NRA has been consistent in calling for full NICS funding."
Brady Center communications director Caroline Brewer underscored the point.
“You know, this law is part of the Brady Bill and it’s very, very important to us,” she told Raw Story. “So if we had any indication, we would not be shy about letting everybody know that the NRA was standing in the way of this bill being fully funded and effective.”
But another aspect to consider in this is, what exactly constitutes a person being labeled mentally ill, and who MAKES that determination? Is something like being on prescribed meds a determining factor? And in our medication-promoting society, would this wind up BEING a discourse for limiting who can, and can not own a firearm?
The number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in only a decade, while the number seeing psychiatrists continued to fall, a study shows.
About 10% of Americans — or 27 million people — were taking antidepressants in 2005, the last year for which data were available at the time the study was written. That's about twice the number in 1996, according to the study of nearly 50,000 children and adults in today's Archives of General Psychiatry. Yet the majority weren't being treated for depression. Half of those taking antidepressants used them for back pain, nerve pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties or other problems, the study says.
Among users of antidepressants, the percentage receiving psychotherapy fell from 31.5% to less than 20%, the study says. About 80% of patients were treated by doctors other than psychiatrists.
Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
This is a subject certainly worth discussion, and one that I'm sure will create a deep divide in the pros and cons for such measures to be changed and implemented.
We're missing 80 to 90% of the mentally ill. … That's scary," says Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control advocacy group. Helmke says the missing records stem from "the inertia of bureaucracy" rather than strong ideological opposition.
It seeks to expand the federal database used to screen gun buyers to include the estimated 2 million-plus people, including felons and the mentally ill, who are ineligible to buy firearms.
Yet Raw Story confirmed with experts on gun control that records of those whose mental illness has been legally determined to be a danger to themselves or others far outnumber the unreported information of individuals in other prohibiting categories.
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control advocacy group
On December 7, 1993, her husband, Dennis, was killed and her son, Kevin, severely injured, on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train at the Merillon Avenue station, when a mass murderer, Colin Ferguson, opened fire on random unarmed passengers.[4] Ferguson killed six and wounded 19 others.[5] McCarthy responded to the crime by launching a campaign for additional gun control that eventually propelled her to Congress in 1996 on the Democratic ticket.
Gun ControlMcCarthy is one of the most vocal advocates in the nation for gun control. In 1997, she sponsored a bill requiring trigger locks on guns.[7] She introduced legislation to ban the sale of guns to tourists to the United States after the 1997 Empire State Building shooting. Because of this, she reported receiving several death threats.[8] Later that same year, McCarthy opposed a Treasury bill provision that allowed importing weapons that are banned for sale in the U.S.[9] In the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre, McCarthy submitted a bill requiring firearms be child-resistant and to add obstacles to the purchase of guns by young adults[10] along with regulating gun shows.[11]
After the Assault Weapons Ban expired in September 2004, McCarthy introduced the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007 to reauthorize it in February 2007. McCarthy's new version would ban 65 models of firearms, as opposed to the previous ban's 19 models. In addition, McCarthy's law would ban any semiautomatic rifle, shotgun or handgun that was "originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General."[12] A journalist asserted that the bill has little chance of passage and criticized it as a "fund-raising" bill.[13] McCarthy frames the reintroduction of the ban as law enforcement protection, though active, off-duty and retired police officers would be exempt from the gun bans.[12]
On the April 18, 2007 showing of MSNBC's program Tucker, Tucker Carlson interviewed McCarthy concerning the Virginia Tech massacre and her proposed reauthorization of the Assault Weapons Ban. He asked her to explain the need to regulate barrel shrouds, one of the many provisions of the Act. She responded that more importantly the legislation would ban large capacity "clips" (sic) used in the Virginia Tech massacre and that the class of guns chosen were those used by gangs and police killers. However, the Virginia Tech shooter did not have high capacity magazines; they were the AWB compliant 10 round variety. After admitting that she did not know what a barrel shroud was, McCarthy incorrectly stated, "I believe it is a shoulder thing that goes up".
On Monday, April 16, 2007, after the shootings at Virginia Tech, and after President Bush's press secretary Dana Perino said, "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed,"[14] McCarthy issued a press release calling for "legislation to prevent further acts of gun violence."[15] Because the Virginia Tech massacre gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, was able to pass the background check to legally buy a firearm despite his prior mental health issues because of inconsistent sharing of records between the federal and state governments,[16] the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 2640, the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007) introduced by McCarthy, with the support of the National Rifle Association and later signed into law by President Bush to remedy this.[16][17] McCarthy indicated she wanted later to revisit the issue of doing background checks at gun shows.[17]
Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
reply to post by Xcathdra
Interesting...So in a sense this is bureaucratic scare-mongering and disinfo being fed into the media complex to grab more guns?
Can't say I would be shocked with that then.