Senate passes gun bill in response to rampage

Reuters ^ | Dec 19, 2007 | Thomas Ferraro

[RDTF]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress, prodded by the deadliest shooting rampage in modern American history, passed legislation on Wednesday designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

Without objection, the Senate and House of Representatives approved the measure, which would bolster background checks for gun buyers, and sent it to President George W. Bush to sign.

[El Gato]

OK, where does the NRA stand on this? Still supporting this move?

They tell everyone, right here where they stand.

A short excerpt:

The Violence Policy Center, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and other gun control and gun ban groups are opposed to the passage of this legislation because of the many pro-gun improvements contained within.

The link above lists several improvements, and most of them *seem* to actually be improvements, to the Senate version of the bill, which the House acceded to.

Watch my back, I'm going to the Brady Campaign site to see what they are saying...

Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

“We commend the United States Congress for its action today to strengthen the Brady background check system.”

Hmm, doesn't sound like "opposition to me".

Well maybe the VPC...

WASHINGTON, DC--Leading national gun violence prevention organizations the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Legal Community Against Violence, and the Violence Policy Center today warned that a bill intended to improve the records available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)--the national system used to screen gun buyers--has been hijacked by the gun lobby and would now do far more harm than good.

So they are opposed to some of the last minute provisions, provisions provisions which we never heard about from the NRA until today.. maybe they weren't their doing? CSGV just posted their joint release with the VPC.

[El Gato]

We need a roll call of who voted for this bill, and who voted against it. Does anybody here know how to find that information?

It was passed "without objection", thus no vote.

Makes it kind of hard to hold one's legislators' feet to the fire, doesn't it.

Sneaky these CongresCritters.

[ridesthemiles]

Think how easy it is to get someone declared “mentally ill”...”

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have to give up their guns?????

[spunkets]

"The current law, 18 USC § 922 bars selling a gun to anyone "who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution."

The committment must be involuntary. Voluntary committment don't count.

[Limelight]

That’s what I would like to know.

[El Gato]

Got my CCW before it was too late!

Not going to do you a lot of good if they take your guns.

[spunkets]

"There is no period of limitation, and even being declared free of mental illness by a certified mental health professional does not create a presumption that one ought to have one's right to purchase a firearm restored. I think there might be a way to get that right back, but it's purely at the discretion of the government."

No. This legislation says there must be a remedy, which means if the docs declare one free from the various demons the feds must scratch the name of the disqualified list.

[spunkets]

,i>"3. The test question...”How many bubbles are there in a bar of soap?”

Shoot it and ask, "what soap?"

[El Gato]

I don't doubt that he'll sign this latest gun grab bill as well

With the NRA endorsing it, heck they endorsed the House version, which was worse, it's a slam dunk.

[epow]

Think how easy it is to get someone declared “mentally ill”...

I have, and I also think about how many of our honorable war vets will be unable to buy a gun because they have been or will be diagnosed with some psycho-babble "mental disorder" like post traumatic stress syndrome, which under this new gun law is enough to put them on the ineligible list of the FBI background check and prevent them from legally buying a gun for the rest of their lives.

What galls me as much as anything about this is that the NRA, of which I had been a member and financial supporter for decades, gave the bill a thumbs up and actually worked for it's passage alongside such antis as Cockroach Schumer and the rest of that pack of liars and con artists. I dropped my NRA membership when it came up for renewal last summer because of their crap like this, and when their phone bank hucksters call asking me to renew it I let them know why I haven't and won't.

Here is something I copied from a veterans support group website:

By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY

As many as one out of four veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq treated at Veterans Affairs hospitals in the past 16 months were diagnosed with mental disorders, a number that has been steadily rising, according to a report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Records show that 20% of eligible ex-soldiers came to VA hospitals seeking medical treatment between October 2003 and February 2005. Overall, 26% of them were diagnosed with mental disorders, say Han Kang and Kenneth Hyams of the VA.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was most common, diagnosed in 10% of patients, followed by drug or alcohol abuse (9%). Seven percent were diagnosed with depression; 6% had anxiety disorders, such as phobias and panic. Many ex-soldiers had multiple disorders, Kang says.

I'm sure that many vets will go to those clinics thinking they will get help for their combat related stress problems, and not realizing that they may well be putting their 2nd Amendment rights at risk just by going there.

[peggybac]

Anyone who is, or has, taken anti-anxiety drugs, etc. will be considered mentally unstable. This will open up all future prospective gun owner’s medical files and it will be perfectly legal.

[El Gato]

The committment must be involuntary. Voluntary committment don't count.

I don't see where the *law* says that. It seems to be the practice, but do you have section of the law that says that?

[Uriah_lost]

This worries the heck out of me....
Will this keep more of our troops from seeking treatment for PTSD?

[RandallFlagg]

Q: You are in favor of some gun controls?
A: I’m in favor of keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them like felons & juveniles. I’m for enforcing the laws on the books. In Texas, we’ve armed D.A.’s with extra money to prosecute people who break the law. We need to send a signal to people, don’t be illegally selling guns and don’t be illegally using guns. The best accountability for somebody who breaks the law with a gun is called jail, certain jail.
Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate Dec 13, 1999

As president, he would:
bring in no new gun controls, except possibly tougher penalties for criminals using guns
Source: The Economist, “Issues 2000” special Sep 30, 2000

Bush also would:
Oppose government-mandated registration of guns owned by people who don’t break laws.
Source: Associated Press in Los Angeles Times Apr 21, 2000

Bush said $1.28 million will be used to pay for the appointment of eight special prosecutors who will vigorously prosecute criminals who use guns within the framework of existing laws.
Source: Hilary Hylton, Reuters Sep 21, 1999

Interesting.....

[G Larry]

LOL!

Who’s going to come and “take” my guns?

[spunkets]

"I don't see where the *law* says that. It seems to be the practice, but do you have section of the law that says that?"

See, 27CFR478.11, which covers the the meaning of terms and phrases.

Committed to a mental institution:

A formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily. The term includes commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as for drug use.

The term does not include a person in a mental institution for observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution.

[CowboyConservative]

This is also known as The Veterans Disarmament Act and is very dangerous to any vet. The only reason the sick individual was able to pull off his crimes at Virginia Tech. was because the same liberals who have pushed this bill on us also years ago pushed another bill that would not allow anybody to inform the school this person was a danger to protect his privacy. Doctors who had contact with this individual new he was dangerous but could not under federal law expose that to protect his privacy. His privacy was more important that the lost lives and still is. Where is the bill to amend the privacy act that made his crime possible? Now these liberals who use anything they can to push their ant-gun policies have passed a bill that states any vet who has been diagnosed with combat stress at any time at any degree can and now will lose their rights to firearm ownership!
This is a sad day because now the very people who fought for the rights we enjoy will have those same rights taken away!! Think about how far this can go and probably will.
Example you served in Vietnam came back shaken up and were treated for that but today you are just as normal or more so than the people responsible for this and because that is on record with the VA you loose, think about it. That is why every veterans organization in the country has been fighting this
Remember the only time a liberal cares about a crime is when that crime can be used to promote their own crimes against the constitution and the free people of this country!

[Gilbo_3]

This legislation says there must be a remedy, which means if the docs declare one free from the various demons the feds must scratch the name of the disqualified list.

wanna bet that the dept of RKBA list 'scratchers' is the only place we see fiscal restraint ? priority spending will be compiling the list...

[CowboyConservative]

Revoke your right to vote if your crazy, I like that no Democrat would ever get any votes then

[spunkets]

"Who’s going to come and “take” my guns?

If you leave them under the pillow, the tooth fairy will get 'em and leave ya a quarter.