Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Should Mental Health Evaluation be required for Gun Purchases?
View Single Post
 
Old 04-04-2014, 03:46 PM
Carl in Tampa's Avatar
Carl in Tampa Carl in Tampa is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Split time between Tampa and The Villages
Posts: 1,891
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Exclamation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Golfingnut View Post
When my wife and I decided it was time to have a vasectomy back in the 70's, I was required to have an evaluation from a physiatrist at Fort Belvoir, Virginia before the operation could be performed. The reason given was I had to be emotionally and mentally stable enough to make that decision.

Perhaps, it would be a good idea to require that same evaluation to determine emotional and mental stability prior to the purchase of a weapon.
Until YOU disclosed it, your medical experience was private and protected by federal privacy laws regarding medical treatment. The same is true of psychological evaluation or treatment.

The only question regarding mental illness on the federal gun purchase application form is whether not you have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution.

If you have not been adjudicated or committed you cannot be prevented from buying a gun, so a simple "evaluation" would be insufficient

Other posters have given a long list of very valid reasons showing that your suggestion is impractical.

Besides which, a recent Gallup poll discloses that 60% of all Americans already own guns.

Pew Research claims that only 37% of households have guns, but estimates there are 270 million to 310 million guns in the United States.

Some ideas sound good, but are impractical. Your suggestion is impractical.

.