Mental Health, the Nemesis to Gun Ownership
Erick Erickson of the Political Hot Seat asked: "Should Americans be required to undergo a mental health exam before buying a gun?"
Only 10,359 people, or the size of a small town, answered as of six o'clock p.m. Pacific Time, but the results are surprising.
51%... no
45%... yes
4%.... not sure
The late, great Chicago columnist, Mike Royko, once said that "Someone should put a fence around California and wait for it to fall into the ocean." Make that the whole country.
To those that voted "no," people what is wrong with you? Would you want a gun in the hands of someone who is mentally unstable? Aren't we having enough problems already? It is this kind of thing that may help explain the dilemma we are in now.
Thank you, amen, over and out.
I agree with you Gail but think the determination of who is too mentally ill or not may be difficult to ascertain.
Just a question or two: Who and what entity will determine who is mentally ill? For example, a government appointed Head Dr. examines an applicant who suffered from depression in the past and wants to buy a small gun for protection. Chances are that applicant will be refused. Yet, we look around us, particularly, here in good ole Cal-for-ni-a and what do we notice? Plenty of psychopaths, (some of them in three piece suits or working for Kos, etc.), plenty of misunderstood gang members (in my old neighborhoods), plenty of crazy, drugged-out nincompoops driving on the 101 and the 405-they all could have 'qualified' for gun ownership and will continue to get that gun anyway they can. Who will be the Judge? In Canada recently, a mad psycho on a bus, got up from his seat and preceded to cut the head off of a young man sleeping near him. Everyone fled the bus while the murderer started to cannibalize the poor fellow. If my former country hadn't removed the rights of gun ownership, just maybe someone could have killed that guy on the bus before he killed his victim (similar to the brave Israeli citizens who have taken down terrorists in the act of terrorism). The other side of this horrible story is that the man above had no gun as a weapon, he carried a machete. He was found to be insane by a Canadian court and sentenced to a Psych ward. Previously, he had no evidence of mental illness. And if he did, would someone who knew him have turned him in?
Canary,
I can always go ahead and appoint myself, but then no one would get a gun because I think everyone's crazy.
sigh...yes, I suppose you're right
yet, no one should be allowed to own a shiv or popsicle stick or...