Show of HandsShow of Hands

kermie July 26th, 2015 10:18pm

Many are calling for stronger measures to keep people with mental illness from buying a gun. However, over 50 million Americans have a mental disorder and most of them are non-violent. Wouldn't a better criterion be blocking people who are violent?

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ladyniner81 people suck
07/29/15 8:46 am

There is a difference between being mentally ill and being mentally unstable. Schizophrenia, Psychosis, post pardum psychosis (wasn't there women who killed their children blaming post pardum depression/psychosis?) Most of these mass shooters,

ladyniner81 people suck
07/29/15 8:50 am

Are mentally unstable. No person in their right mind is going to walk into a movie theater and start shooting. If you're depressed, you basically hate yourself. I'd think a counselor should decide if that person should have a gun or not

thebarr
07/29/15 3:45 am

Absolutely! People convicted of a violent felony should not be allowed to purchase a gun, at least not until being cleared.

ImageAccess
07/27/15 12:15 pm

The second we start putting limits on who can posses or own a firearm, we begin to destroy the 2nd amendment.

You can justify removing a right by slowly chipping away at a certain class of people. Then expand. It's the boiling frog analogy.

cowboy Proud Father
07/27/15 7:02 am

I guess it depends on your definition of mental illness.

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steelcity Pittsburgh
07/27/15 4:22 am

Violent is a character trait. Characters change, can be suppressed etc.

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Sk8BoredR Asian American warrior
07/26/15 9:29 pm

I think anyone with any violent behavior should be denied a gun.

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aj1545 Cat Lady
07/26/15 7:33 pm

Very good point. I also remember reading that people with mental health disorders are more likely to be victims than perpetrators overall.

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SFLiberal
07/27/15 10:46 am

The majority of people with mental illnesses are victims, but the majority of mass shooters are mentally ill. I think making mental healthcare more accessible will curb both those issues.

Doopy Remedial Americanism
07/26/15 5:40 pm

I support a policy of committing those who are a danger to themselves or others, and imprisoning those who commit violent crimes. If you cannot be trusted with a gun, you cannot be trusted to be a part of society.

F1Dan Parked in your spot
07/26/15 8:15 pm

I've never used a gun so I don't for a second trust myself with a one, nor should I be. I should be removed from society? What a rediculous comparison.

Doopy Remedial Americanism
07/26/15 8:20 pm

That's taking it out of context. You could be trusted to have a gun, because you wouldn't use it to murder people. It doesn't matter if you never would go buy one.

TheCameron UCF
07/26/15 4:29 pm

Sure but maybe we should think twice about giving guns to depressed people, considering the amount of suicides in this country. However if having their guns taken away is the price to pay for seeking treatment, maybe it would only make it worse.

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jvberg Winter has Come
07/26/15 4:21 pm

People should need a special license in order to buy certain weapons, and gun stores and gun shows need to be held to this standard. This is to make sure guns don't get into the wrong hands

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BusinessJustin Tamriel
07/26/15 4:12 pm

How do you plan to objectively screen for that?

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kermie gaytopia
07/26/15 4:23 pm

I don't know. I could think of some ways. Other SOHers may have good ideas.

Wert A picture of my junk
07/26/15 4:10 pm

You can diagnose a mental disorder more often than you can diagnose violent tendencies.

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kermie gaytopia
07/26/15 4:22 pm

Of course. That doesn't make it a good alternative though just because it's easier.

mikeey1962 on SOH where else
07/26/15 4:01 pm

No because, 100% can become violent...

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kermie gaytopia
07/26/15 4:22 pm

Uh.

So can anybody then.

mikeey1962 on SOH where else
07/26/15 4:45 pm

Mostly comes down to if you have the ability to overcome it logically and not physically

Casper Deep inthe Heart ofTexas
07/26/15 3:26 pm

I'm all for gun rights but if a person is on medication for psychotic problems we might be better off if they aren't packing heat - or driving, or carrying an axe, or buying a pressure cooker...

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Doopy Remedial Americanism
07/26/15 8:34 pm

Maybe they ought to be locked up...

Casper Deep inthe Heart ofTexas
07/26/15 8:37 pm

That's the way it used to be.
Maybe Obamacare will cover it.

kermie gaytopia
07/26/15 3:20 pm

We continue to have an unpleasant vendetta against people suffering from mental illness in this country. Putting up roadblocks to what they can and can't buy would just make many of them less likely to seek treatment.

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Arkansas123 Neoconservative
07/26/15 3:36 pm

Kermie, I think you know what people mean when they say that they want to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill. They're not talking about women suffering from postpartum depression or young adults with anxiety or attention deficit.

kermie gaytopia
07/26/15 4:21 pm

Sure they are. The proposals I've heard would block anyone who's had any diagnosis. What mental illnesses would we say are ok and which are dangerous? That seems like a tricky road to go down.

Arkansas123 Neoconservative
07/26/15 4:36 pm

Almost every decision in a democracy is tricky. If I were the president, I'd appoint a special commission consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists, law enforcement, policy analysts, and gun manufactures to issue a report on guns and mental illness.

Arkansas123 Neoconservative
07/26/15 4:38 pm

Then, I'd recommend to Congress the passage of a new law detailing who is and who isn't a prohibited person based on the recommendations of the special committee.

Arkansas123 Neoconservative
07/26/15 4:39 pm

*manufacturers

Rosebud Ohio
07/26/15 8:48 pm

As someone with post and pre pardum depression over the past 5 years, it should be considered when talking about mental illnesses and danger. Same with anxiety (which I've also had). They can both lead to bad situations, and truly need treatment.

Rosebud Ohio
07/26/15 8:50 pm

A flat ban wouldn't help as people would avoid treatment though fwiw (hell I did at first, I didn't know what was wrong then I was afraid of being labeled and having rights stripped then I realized it was not worth it to live like that).

Rosebud Ohio
07/26/15 8:52 pm

Some people have violent or self harming tendencies with them, some don't. You by when classify it by your of illness in many cases, or if the person is getting treatment. It's an incredibly complicated matter sadly.