Guns and mental illness

[KillShot]

The head of law enforcement in Washington County said he's confident that the concealed carry law in Ohio is keeping those with mental illness who shouldn't own guns from doing so.In the wake of the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., a national debate has been renewed about whether there should be tougher regulations in place to keep those identified as mentally ill from purchasing firearms and whether there should be a better system in place to identify those people.

The Tucson shooter, Jared Loughner, 22, fell through cracks in the system, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told MSNBC following the incident.

"If he had been identified with this mental illness, he would not have been able to buy this gun," Brown said. "I mean, the laws were there, but he fell through the system, he fell through the cracks, because when he left the community college (after exhibiting strange and violent behavior), nobody approached him, apparently."

A federal law is in place that makes it illegal for someone to possess a firearm if that person has been found by a court or legal authority to be a "mental defective" or if that person has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution.

In Ohio, there is a law in place that bans anyone "under adjudication of mental incompetence" from owning a gun. A concealed carry law that took effect in 2004 flags people with a history of mental illness.

Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said the background checks required for a concealed carry permit don't just recognize when people have been formally identified as having a relevant mental health issue.

"It includes log entries so that if they've been involved in any incident and an officer noted that they may suffer from mental illness, we're aware of that and can look into it further," he said. "I think we're able to identify everyone we need to in that process."

Mincks said he feels it's the people operating outside the system in another way that are the danger.

"I don't think we have a lot of problems with people who go through the process," he said. "But there are a lot of weapons out there, and someone may able to obtain one from a family member or a friend. ... People who own weapons need to take responsibility and make sure they're secure."

Mincks said he doesn't see a need for further restrictions on gun owners.

"I think we just need to follow the ones we have," he said.

For Washington County residents, the issue seemed to be more about what type of guns are on the market rather than what people have access to them.

"I believe in having a gun to protect your home and guns for hunting, but all the automatic weapons out there aren't necessary," said Jim Russell, 57, of Reno.

Shannon Noland, 36, of Beverly, agreed.

"I think that's what's allowing people to go into schools or other public places and hurt or kill so many people so quickly," she said. "There's no need for ordinary citizens to have those kinds of guns."

Noland said she is also concerned that severely mentally ill people may be able to access guns, if they're not recognized as ill in the system, but doesn't know if more can be done about that.

"If it's just a sense that people have about someone, how do you document that?" she said. "I know plenty of people that I find a little creepy or strange, but I doubt they're ever going to go do something crazy. It would be a lot of work for someone to sift through if we all reported everyone for anything strange."

There is also concern from some mental health professionals that pushing for a registry or more documentation of mental illness could further stigmatize people who suffer from mental health issues, particularly since most people who receive treatment will never commit a crime.

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Source - Marietta Times