Mental Health Screening

Posted on the 02 August 2012 by Mikeb302000

  Mental Health Screening for Gun Buyers? It's Nearly Non-Existent
This morning, I posted a new blog at the Huffington Post that examines one of the hard truths about the gruesome mass shooting in Aurora:  Under federal law, mental health screening for gun purchasers is cursory at best, negligent and reckless at worst.

Most Americans probably assume that the background check for gun buyers who go through a federally licensed dealer (FFL) is robust, to include significant screening for mental health history. The reality is far different. Unless a gun buyer has been involuntarily committed or formally adjudicated by a court as a "mental defective," he is free to stockpile as many firearms as he wishes. Furthermore, when a gun dealer is processing a transaction, he does not see any details about the mental health history of a customer: just some type on a computer screen telling him to APPROVE or DENY a sale.
What can we do to improve this deeply flawed system and prevent the next Aurora?  Please check out my blog, " Aurora's Hard Truth: Mental Health Screening for Gun Buyers Is Nearly Non-Existent," to find out.
Best regards,

Josh Horwitz Executive Director