Mental health and gun laws.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

there are many people who are capable of walking the streets who would be less capable with a gun. at least in real life as opposed to some hypothetical construct.unless of course we want to really tighten up on who we let walk the streets and thats not awfully libertarian

[Jamisjockey]

there are many people who are capable of walking the streets who would be less capable with a gun. at least in real life as opposed to some hypothetical construct.unless of course we want to really tighten up on who we let walk the streets and thats not awfully libertarian

Your "reality" is a slippery slope of decision making for other people.

[lupinus]

there are many people who are capable of walking the streets who would be less capable with a gun. at least in real life as opposed to some hypothetical construct.unless of course we want to really tighten up on who we let walk the streets and thats not awfully libertarian

If they are so mentally incapable that they can not be trusted with a gun why do we trust them with cars, boats, knives, sporks, and all manner of other potentially dangerous gadgets?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

If they are so mentally incapable that they can not be trusted with a gun why do we trust them with cars, boats, knives, sporks, and all manner of other potentially dangerous gadgets?

there are quite a number of fols we allow the freedom to walk the streets who we don't allow to drive   is it your position we need to imprison those folks?  why?   wwrpd?

[Perd Hapley]

csd,

Context, dude. Read the whole post, not just the part you quotateded.

[lupinus]

there are quite a number of fols we allow the freedom to walk the streets who we don't allow to drive   is it your position we need to imprison those folks?  why?   wwrpd?

Oh FFS dude.

A little context and critical thinking, please.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

In the context of this discussion, mental illness and guns, there are a great many folks whose mental illness makes them armed " not optimal". At the same time many are quite fit to mingle in the real world. Or do you think my paranoid schizo brother is safe with guns? Or maybe you advocate for greater institutionalization?

[Perd Hapley]

Here's what Balog said:

If someone is not mentally competent to own guns, they probably shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets. So if someone is so crazy and dangerous that they have been adjudicated by a court of law (including zealous representation on their side) to be such a danger to themselves and others as to require involuntary treatment and/or confinement then yeah they probably hsouldn't be allowed to buy guns from a dealer.

[lupinus]

In the context of this discussion, mental illness and guns, there are a great many folks whose mental illness makes them armed " not optimal". At the same time many are quite fit to mingle in the real world. Or do you think my paranoid schizo brother is safe with guns? Or maybe you advocate for greater institutionalization?

Is your paranoid schizo brother likely to have a psychotic break from reality and listen to the voices when they tell him to start stabbing up the KFC with his evil black assault spork? If so than yes, he should be institutionalized until he is no longer likely to do so. I don't particularly want to get pummeled with a brick, shot by a gun, blown up by refined cow *expletive deleted* and fermented dino juice, or stabbed with an evil black assault spork when your brother goes on his voices inspired rampage. And if he is likely to do so, as found by a court after review and representation in his "defense", he is a valid danger to society and should be in an appropriate institution.

If he has an effective medication combo, follows the treatment regimen, and isn't likely to listen to the voices in his head he should not be in an institution and I see no issue with him having a firearm. To suggest otherwise implies that there is an inherent danger from the firearm itself, when it is merely a tool. If he goes off his meds and shoots up the KFC and only resorts to his evil black assault spork when he runs out of ammo, the matter should be handed over to the courts and dealt with accordingly. And if such a scenario is likely, see paragraph one.

[birdman]

The truly psychotic, whose first act of outward violence is murder or mass murder are quite rare, and thus not statistically significant enough to risk the rights of everyone else.

Take the truly "broken"...like the infamous serial killers, plus all the mass murderers, and you end up with a very small number of overall homicides.  Thus, mental health screening for firearms is a terrifyingly slippery slope for everyone else, and doesn't have a statistical effect--it ends up being an "if it saves just one life" fallacious argument that costs everyone else.

Psychology isn't predictive enough to do this, and even if it did, laws that punish the POTENTIAL to do things are bordering on Orwellian thought crime, not to mention in flagrant violation of multiple constitutional aspects.

[Scout26]

All the people shot this past year by "deranged" gunmen is about equal to a busy summer weekend or two in Chicago.

[longeyes]

While we worry about the random deranged shooter we have entire deranged subcultures and and a deranged government, but, hey, rock on.

[Tallpine]

How about when a government drone has a software glitch and crashes into a school full of children. 

[Fitz]

How about when a government drone has a software glitch and crashes into a school full of children. 

Unfortunate collateral damage in the glorious War on Terror!

or War on Some Drugs

Quiet down, citizen.

[longeyes]

How about when a government drone has a software glitch and crashes into a school full of children. 

Blame it on conservatives.

[Fly320s]

How about when a government drone has a software glitch and crashes into a school full of children. 

Or the drone is hacked and deliberately crashed into a school.

Our military drones have already been at least partially hacked. How long will it take the Chinese unknown persons to do it again?

[RoadKingLarry]

How about when a government drone has a software glitch and crashes into a school full of children. 

I'd bet a months pay (take home) that if that were to happen it would be reported that a racist, rightwing christian militia anti-government group had hacked the drone and crashed it on purpose.

[red headed stranger]

I'd bet a months pay (take home) that if that were to happen it would be reported that a racist, rightwing christian militia anti-government group had hacked the drone and crashed it on purpose.

I suspect they would try to report it as a gas leak/explosion of some sort. 

[Perd Hapley]

I suspect they would try to report it as a gas leak/explosion of some sort. 

Marsh gas.

[birdman]

Or the drone is hacked and deliberately crashed into a school.

Our military drones have already been at least partially hacked. How long will it take the Chinese unknown persons to do it again?

Or when an F-16 pilot accidentally strafed a school?  No, wait, that actually happened.

[Balog]

Drones are already regularly used to blow up weddings and birthday parties where someone Obama feels should die happens to be at.

[Cliffh]

I know a guy who's prescribed an anti-anxiety medication for restless leg syndrome.  I'm concerned that could be used as a dis-qualifier for firearm ownership.

One of the doc's my wife and I see asks if we feel safe at home.  Thing is, we're both in the room, at the same time, sitting side-by-side.  How in hell am I supposed to tell the doc I'm scared???

[TechMan]

I know a guy who's prescribed an anti-anxiety medication for restless leg syndrome.  I'm concerned that could be used as a dis-qualifier for firearm ownership.

One of the doc's my wife and I see asks if we feel safe at home.  Thing is, we're both in the room, at the same time, sitting side-by-side.  How in hell am I supposed to tell the doc I'm scared???

[Scout26]

Ask for political asylum ?

 

[Tallpine]

One of the doc's my wife and I see asks if we feel safe at home.

Sure!  I have a loaded gun on my hip and one or more other loaded guns in every room.