Well, it's answered. They will work together

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

The question has been answered. The republicans will work with democrats on gun control. There are laws currently on the books. New ones are not needed. People of Oklahoma. You need to remind Coburn of this at the ballot box.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who appeared with Schumer, agreed that the law was not written with a case like Loughner in mind. 

"There's a hole in what we need to do. And I'm willing to work with Senator Schumer and anybody else that wants to make sure people who are mentally ill cannot get and use a gun," he said.

http://www.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=22995&external=680018.proteus.fma#r_http%3A//www.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html%3Fpage%3D22995%26content%3D47107799%26pageNum%3D-1

[Monkeyleg]

Hmm. Should I mention anything here about using marijuana, LSD and other drugs in the 1970's?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

did you see the show?  or are you relying on someone else's interpretation?

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

Hmm. Should I mention anything here about using marijuana, LSD and other drugs in the 1970's?

Now. Now. Don't go spoiling the "mission creep" just yet.  

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41078415/ns/meet_the_press-transcripts

MR. GREGORY:  What about the number of rounds, Senator Coburn, the ammunition clips?  There are lawmakers who have already introduced legislation that would limit those the way the assault weapons ban did.  Is that where the debate ought to go?

SEN. TOM COBURN (R-OK):  I don't think so.  You know, I, I think we're missing a bigger, a bigger problem.  We have an obviously unstable person who, multiple times in encounters in different levels in our society, people worried about.  He was pushed back, rather than somebody intervening and helping this individual.  And so what we need to be--make sure that we fix the right problem here, and one of them is mental health, and, and how do we put our hands around people who are so disturbed.  If you read all the reports on Jared Loughner, it is almost every encounter he had with people, people were concerned about him.

MR. GREGORY:  Mm-hmm.

SEN. COBURN:  And yet nobody grabbed hold of this young individual and said, "You need to be helped.  You need to be taken under care." And then had he been, he would've been reported and never been able to buy a gun.


reality  the ultimate buzzkill

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

SEN. COBURN:  And yet nobody grabbed hold of this young individual and said, "You need to be helped.  You need to be taken under care." And then had he been, he would've been reported and never been able to buy a gun.

And knowing that, he still wants to work with democrats to pass ANOTHER LAW.

That's the reality.

[RoadKingLarry]

I'll be watching this one pretty close. Coburn is pretty popular around here and him sponsoring onerous gun control legislation would likely lose him a boat load of votes.

[Perd Hapley]

I'll be watching this one pretty close. Coburn is pretty popular around here and him sponsoring onerous gun control legislation would likely lose him a boat load of votes.

Not if it "only" affects those with documented mental issues.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

I'll be watching this one pretty close. Coburn is pretty popular around here and him sponsoring onerous gun control legislation would likely lose him a boat load of votes.

Supporting ANY gun control legislation, major or minor, should have a cost at the ballot box.

[Waitone]

One would logically think (yeah, I know but stick with me) the place to start is the good sheriff and how many times he had to invoke existing law and thereby place the shooter under direct control of law enforcement.  Instead we are looking a "loophole" in law and saying that if only that particular loophole was closed the event would have never happen.  And just what is it that makes Sen. Coburn think his new law would have been enforced if it had existed? 

Is it just me or does anyone else think Sen. Coburn "has grown in the job"  perhaps to prep himself for other responsibilities.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

has coburn proposed a law?  or even schumer? i mean a real law?  not speculative? or is it a case of the transcript being too long to read?

[Ben]

has coburn proposed a law?  or even schumer? i mean a real law?  not speculative? or is it a case of the transcript being too long to read?

Schumer said he is proposing to the Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that the military be required to notify federal officials about such admissions. The New York Democrat said such a process does not require new legislation.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/16/schumer-require-military-report-applicants-drug-use-prevent-gun-purchases/#ixzz1BFmZbVWR

[Tallpine]

does not require new legislation

Go straight to jail.  Do not pass senate, do not collect 218 votes.

[longeyes]

Of course the Left believes ALL conservatives are insane...don't they?

[longeyes]

I've heard the Republicans are going to sit next to the Democrats at the State of the Union address.  I think that's wrong: they are going to sit on the Democrats' laps...

[Tallpine]

I've heard the Republicans are going to sit next to the Democrats at the State of the Union address.  I think that's wrong: they are going to sit on the Democrats' laps...

And when the Republicans speak, if you watch real closely you might see the Democrats' lips move 

[Jamisjockey]

Of course the Left believes ALL conservatives are insane...don't they?

Therein lies the endgame.  2+2 always = 4.

Immediately after the shooting, we have leftists popping off about "responsible" speech.
And now, we see they want new "mental health" legislation. 
When there are three cards, and two hands, if you take your eyes off the card, you always loose.

When they control the narrative on what "mental health" is, it will become another tool to silence the opposition.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

And knowing that, he still wants to work with democrats to pass ANOTHER LAW.

That's the reality.

Maybe I'm a little slow here, but what new law is Coburn trying to pass?  I don't see one.  What are the details of this new law?  What does it say?

The closest thing I can find is in the the MSNBC article.  Loughner was crazy, certifiably crazy, but since nobody took the effort to certify him, he was still cleared to purchase a gun legally.  Coburn correctly identifies this as a failure of the local authorities, of local law enforcement and the local mental health system, not a failure of our gun laws.  There's definitely room for improvement here.  They need to clean up the local sheriff's office (Dupnik should've already lost his job over this event), and institute some real measures to identify and help crazy people rather than throwing them back out on the streets while they're still a threat to others. 

So, anyway, I'm not seeing any new gun control laws being proposed or pushed by Coburn.  Quite the opposite, in fact, as Coburn immediately rejects the idea of new gun control measures like a mag limit.

MR. GREGORY:  What about the number of rounds, Senator Coburn, the ammunition clips?  There are lawmakers who have already introduced legislation that would limit those the way the assault weapons ban did.  Is that where the debate ought to go?

SEN. TOM COBURN (R-OK):  I don't think so.  You know, I, I think we're missing a bigger, a bigger problem.  We have an obviously unstable person who, multiple times in encounters in different levels in our society, people worried about.  He was pushed back, rather than somebody intervening and helping this individual.  And so what we need to be--make sure that we fix the right problem here, and one of them is mental health, and, and how do we put our hands around people who are so disturbed.  If you read all the reports on Jared Loughner, it is almost every encounter he had with people, people were concerned about him.

MR. GREGORY:  Mm-hmm.

SEN. COBURN:  And yet nobody grabbed hold of this young individual and said, "You need to be helped.  You need to be taken under care." And then had he been, he would've been reported and never been able to buy a gun.

[seeker_two]

As someone who works in the mental health field, this nation (and Texas in particular) is long overdue for mental health reform. The whole "de-institutionalization" movement of the 50's & 60's lead to a lot of people being out in the street that shouldn't be...all because the libs believed that the right of a mentally-ill person to live on the streets and harm others is more important than the right of others to live without being victimized by mentally-ill persons or pay high taxes so these mentally-ill persons could be incarcerated instead of treated.

I hold a slim hope that the current trend of mental health treatment will be revised to help those who need it instead of screwing over the rest of us....but I'm not holding my breath....

[longeyes]

Unfortunately, who is "mentally unfit" becomes a question for "experts," making an end-run around due process.  In times like these that has to scare all of us.  I can live with deranged individuals but not with a deranged government.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

in real life there is quite a bit of due process to get someone declared a nut bar

[longeyes]

I don't consider the processes of government to be "real life."

[Northwoods]

I can't count the number of news stories I've read where some guy/gal twists off and hurts/kills someone besides themselves, and the family is reported as saying they'd tried for, in some cases, years to get that person hospitalized but couldn't becuase the way the laws are written in most states it's nearly impossible to involuntarilly commit someone.  It not THAT hard to get a 72 hour mental eval hold on someone, but that doesn't count as a 2A disqualifier.  But even to get that 72 hour hold can be a very high hurdle to clear in some cases. 

Personally I'd like to see it made a bit easier to get those holds placed and to have it made easier to get a long term committal.  But both of those should come with a lot more due process than what existed in the past.  There should at least be mechanisms to ensure the right to legal representation, and to get appeals up far enough to get away from local influences. 

What we have now clearly is failing way too many people.  What we had 60 years ago was too ripe for abuse, and often times did little to any more than warehouse the mentally ill.  I think we can do better.

[MicroBalrog]

in real life there is quite a bit of due process to get someone declared a nut bar

As there should be. Trust me, you don't want to experience what many people in, say, Israel do.

[Monkeyleg]

I came extremely close to being locked up and having electric shock "therapy". The only thing wrong with me (aside from me smoking pot at the time) was that I was a rebellious teen. Another psychiatrist intervened and saved me.

I realize there has to be a balance, but just as with imprisonment, the burden of proof should be on the accuser and the burden should be heavy.