Posted on 01/03/2014 2:57:42 PM PST by lbryce
The White House issued two executive actions on Friday that aim to beef up background checks for would-be gun buyers and keep the weapons away from those at risk of harming themselves or others.
The first order, proposed by the Department of Justice, more clearly defines who cannot possess a handgun under federal law due to mental health issues. It is designed to clarify the language of the current law by providing better definitions for phrases like what it means to be "committed to a mental institution." This, in turn, will provide a more well-rounded picture of a potential buyer's mental health for the background check to determine whether a purchase should be allowed.
The second executive action concerns privacy laws associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. States have complained that individual privacy protections have made it difficult for them to report relevant mental health information to their respective background check systems, which they fear could lead to guns falling into dangerous hands. The proposed change would allow states to relay "limited" tidbits of information that they feel should be included in background checks. The executive order stresses that it will not prevent everyone with mental health concerns from buying guns, and will not require buyers to report "routine mental health care."
Too many Americans have been severely injured or lost their lives as a result of gun violence,"
Too many Americans have been severely injured or lost their lives as a result of gun violence," the order reads. "While the vast majority of Americans who experience a mental illness are not violent, in some cases when persons with a mental illness do not receive the treatment they need, the result can be tragedies such as homicide or suicide."
The debate over gun regulation in America has always been a hotly contested one, but it erupted in December 2012 following a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 27 dead, including 20 kids, six adults and the gunman. President Barack Obama called for extensive gun control measures, including expanded background checks, but Congress has not passed any legislation since the attack. In the text of the executive orders, the White House continues to urge Congress to consider further gun control measures.
"Passing common-sense gun safety legislation including expanding background checks and making gun trafficking a federal crime remains the most important step we can take to reduce gun violence," the order reads.
The outlaw scumbag in the White Hut does it again. The lawless, fascist pig.
The words in the actual law, the 1968 GCA, that disqualify a person from buying a gun are “-—adjudicated mentally defective”. The only “clarification “that might be useful is how one gets himself “adjudicated.” Everything else looks to be double talk BS-——and theeerrrrreeeee goes the BS flag——wheeeee.
Clinton turned the tables on his impeachment and got more popular. With the MSM on their side that could happen again.
DSM already has codified oppositional defiant disorder as a mental disorder. It will become the new over diagnosis du jour. it will mean the same thing as anyone expressing anti-government views, conservatives, libertarians.
Lets face it, when they really try to take the guns, it will be CW2.
Sir, your records show you didn’t vote Democrat. Sorry, but you’re banned from purchasing guns, knives, baseball bats and tp.
FUBO.
And how about the dolts with a Medical Marijuana card filling out form4473?
Your loyal words will make John Boehner very proud to be the leader of the RINO Establishment.
Your loyal words will make John Boehner and Mitch McConnell very proud to be the leaders of the Congressional RINO Establishment.
but the time is soon at hand...
Agreed. The NRA reacted to Sandy Hook by pointing to better handling mental illness, and that Adam Lanza was apparently very very sick young man. If their political stance is to mean anything we as a society have to get better at stopping these sick monsters.
OTOH I’d prefer it if Congress were doing something like passing a real law instead of letting President Executive Order whip out his own version.
Period
These EO’s, these restrictions appear to be open ended...
Lets say a person is hospitalized nd given drugs which treat a condition yet create symptoms of dependency, however severe, or slight, and that person openly goes to their doctor for treatment to get their lives back to normal...If that is to be classified as an addiction, or mental disorder, at the conclusion of such treatment will they be allowed, if the time required is long enough to be reported to a state agency, that their Second amendment right to keep and bear arms will be FULLY restored at the successful completion of said treatment???
Otherwise some people who might otherwise be open to getting the problem resolved may not seek treatment in the first place if they stand to lose, or be restricted from continuing their right to keep and bear arms when their problem is medically resolved...
Just something I wanted to throw out there for genereal consumption...
Your loyal words will make John Boehner and Mitch McConnell very proud to be the leaders of the Congressional RINO Establishment.
I read the statement above and went back and re-read my post to see if perhaps you meant to send it to someone else. I loathe Boehner and McConnell and the use of loyal confused me. So many people want Obama impeached without regard as to whether the tactic might backfire, as it did with Clinton, or simply fail thus using up precious political capital that could be used for other purposes. Impeachment with the Senates present or likely demographics is the equivalent of a suicide charge against a well-entrenched and well-manned position. There are better and more effective ways to use your troops. Otto Von Bismarck allegedly said that politics is the art of the possible. Principled Republicans voted with Democrats to impeach Nixon. Without their votes that wouldnt have happened. But what five to twenty principled Democrats would vote to impeach Obama and remove him from office? (Sixty-seven votes required of which many Republicans would abstain or vote no.) It is alleged that Daniel Patrick Moynihan was the last principled Democrat. That may be, but the quote I remember from him was, Politics is all about who gets how much and when. In short theres no such thing as a principled Democrat. They are all communists down to their bones. The only way theyd vote for impeachment is to save their own skins.
Even if Republicans win all sixteen Democratic Senate seats in play in 2014 and lose none of their own an impeachment or even overriding a presidential veto is unlikely. But there are numerous other tactics that can be used to nullify the man. We need to concentrate on taking state houses and building a base for 2016. And, in 2016 the GOP will again attempt to force a McCain or Romney on us. If the principled Republicans we do have use up all of their political capital forcing a doomed issue then they wont be available to influence the GOP to back somebody wed actually want to vote for.
Some states have also said that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Acts (HIPAA) privacy provisions may be preventing them from making relevant information available to the background check system regarding individuals prohibited from purchasing a firearm for mental health reasons. In April 2013, HHS began to identify the scope and extent of the problem, and based on public comments is now issuing a proposed rule to eliminate this barrier by giving certain HIPAA covered entities an express permission to submit to the background check system the limited information necessary to help keep guns out of potentially dangerous hands. The proposed rule will not change the fact that seeking help for mental health problems or getting treatment does not make someone legally prohibited from having a firearm. Furthermore, nothing in the proposed rule would require reporting on general mental health visits or other routine mental health care, or would exempt providers solely performing these treatment services from existing privacy rules.In today's legal liability climate, any reporting which is not PROHIBITED will be MANDATORY. If somebody is involved in a shooting, and a doctor failed to report that he was treating the patient for depression or stress if he was permitted to do so, then the doctor WILL be sued.
Thus, in self-defense, the doctor's malpractice insurance company will issue guidelines MANDATING reporting every permitted bit of information. Docs will be given NO discretion.
Ditto GB’s words. I appreciate your enthusiasm and sincerity, but being grounded in reality is what generates victories. We’re not going to turn things around in one fell swoop. It will take a generation of thoughtful, effective leadership and legislation to cut the various Gordian Knots tying America to her socialist, big government programs.
If the GOP will not impeach this ass, they all should be shot for treason.
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