Should Mental Health Evaluation be required for Gun Purchases?
 

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.

Great thought. I could not agree more. :smiley:

:BigApplause: :BigApplause: :BigApplause:

As good of an idea as this may be, our mental health system is so stressed at this point I can't imagine how this could possibly be done. Besides it's too easy to fool someone into believing you are fine when you are not.

I guess you could also require an evaluation for many things. Are you emotionally stable to drive a car. drive a boat, have children, buy propane, buy gasoline, be out in public with out an escort. As tragic as sometime things are trying to having government involved in most things usually never works out the way it was intended. Is the problem the item or the society we now live in?

Requiring a psych evaluation before buying a gun would just not be feasible.

However, I do think that the military should do psych evaluations immediately on every soldier who returns to the US from a foreign tour of duty. It may catch warning signs of PTSD or other problems.

Statistically, the mentally ill are usually the victims of crimes and not the perpetrators. http://mentalillnesspolicy.org/conse...imization.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0225101639.htm

If there were indicators about who might go on a shooting spree, then I would be for evaluations to stop such actions. Life is never that simple though nor, of course, is the human mind.

This is not a requirement in civilian life. So I kind of think it negates your other thought.

Z

I will make it easer to understand.

Please read this and disregard my personal experience.



Perhaps, it would be a good idea to require a psychiatric evaluation to determine emotional and mental stability prior to the purchase of a weapon.

It seems like a good idea. But be careful what you wish for.

If the government were to become the single-payer of all healthcare services, and has every psychiatrist and psychologist session notes and prescriptions in their electronic medical records database, it can be misused to deem political opponents and dissidents as "mentally unfit" to do many things, like getting and keeping a job and owning a firearm.

Or, with the IRS having the stronghold on everyone, an opponent could be determined "mentally unfit" because they owe back-taxes or any number of things.

I think we should maintain a certain level of distrust for government because the majority in power changes, and those in power can change to those you do not like or trust at all.

I am concerned about what is happening far to often now, killing in mass by mentally ill Americans that in too many cases bought the weapon in the last few days. Not a conspiracy theory that MAY happen someday in the far fetched future.

Agree fully. Regardless of the benefits, given the current lack of trust in the government, no one in their right mind would give this kind of power to the Feds. The recent political investigations and outright falsehoods told by those in power about the new health care law are cases in point.

I love America just the way it is.

I love it the way it was.

Sorry to see you longer love it. I am retired military and very patriotic, so that may be why I still think this country is doing just fine.

sticking to the question of the thread.....NO!
Impossible to define/develop criteria to measure with.
Impossible for lawmakers to reach agreement on what the measurements could be.
Virtually impossible to administer/enforce with any degree of effectiveness

The most readily available gun control actions are to enforce the laws already on the books.

The military base issue is an easy one to solve if it isn't made a platform for anti-gunners again......just go back to the rules of military being able to be armed on base as it was for many years. The current criteria have only created another gun free zone providing easy pickings for those who do not follow the rules......as proven time and time again.