Well duh. What are they supposed to do, give them a psych exam? And if they did, where would you draw the line between “normal” and “mentally ill”? Did you know that some 17 million Americans take prescription anti-depressants? Do we ban all of them from gun ownership? In fact, where’s the evidence that this is a problem? I mean specifically this: law-abiding citizens with mental health “issues” buying guns and using them to commit a crime? Yes, I know: Jared Lee Loughner. But . . .
Jared Lee Loughner was the exception that proves the rule: an armed anomaly whose anomalous nature made him the subject of enormous media attention. I mean, if crazy people with legally obtained guns was a big issue, Loughner’s rampage would have been just another day at the office. Pity the poor gun dealers [via newson6.com]:
The federal registry is part of the criminal background check buyers go through when purchasing a gun. There is a box on the form to check that asks if the buyer is mentally ill, but gun sellers have no way to confirm whether a person is mentally ill or not.
Employees at H & H Gun Range in Oklahoma City said their hands are tied. They would like to follow the federal law, but Oklahoma has not provided names to the registry because of patient confidentiality.
“We are not medical doctors and we cannot make a determination just on a simple interview when someone comes in to purchase a firearm,” said Trent Painter, H & H Gun Range employee . . .
Gun owners do not want mentally unstable people to have guns, but also don’t want their medical records accessed.
“Our privacy is already getting invaded a lot already and would be awful having it invaded even more. But it’s one of those balancing acts where there has to be some give and take,” said Emily, who owns a gun.
Says who? If someone’s truly nuts, would a denial at a gun store really stop them from murderous mayhem? Of course not. The security theater is now open for business.