Mental health stigma denies my dignity

[HereSince1628]

49. No, I don't think I'm even implying doing away with any regulation or law

My point is that as the question was posed in reply 10 lacks specificity and doesn't really account for many problems associated with doing what the post implied which was banning everyone with any history of mental illness from purchasing a gun.

I do recognize some potential exists for some mental disorders to contribute to some fraction to the occurrence of different types of gun violence, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of reported risks that are in the literature. I think the general public and lobbiest for law enforcement, public safety, and the firearm industry don't fairly argue anything close to accurate assessments of risk of social gun violence associated with persons with mental disorders. The NRA wants to blame anything but firearms, law enforcement frequently cited prejudicial language and forms of mental illness that aren't recognized by the psycchiatric profession-such as sociopathy and insitutional data rather than data about risks in society. Citizens default to stigma with overly simplified reasoning 'crazy people shouldn't have guns'.


Relative to your stated concern... As a de facto consequence of being involuntarily committed for treatment because of mental incompetence relative to risk to self or others, a person would be separated from their firearms because firearms aren't allowed in clinical settings.

Changes in law in some states have allowances for some persons deemed at risk to self or others to be treated as outpatients.

I really don't know what those state laws speak to relative to removing any firearms from their possession during treatment but I really don't have any objection to removal of firearms through a process that includes fair representation before a court or agents identified by the court for the purpose of making such a determination.

I do know that people looking for scapegoats and 'simple solutions' that involve 'common sense' often don't consider the impact of such solutions on the lives of those they directly impact. Even suspicion of mental illness by employers and public authorities can quite literally destroy a persons capacity to make a living and initiate a cascade of untoward events (dismissal, reduction in responsibilities and such off the radar things asdenial of renewal of life-insurance, and punishing increases in insurance rates for mortgages and automobiles) that lead to crises that could increase the severity of mental health problems.

I'm all for reducing gun violence, gun injuries and gun deaths. I want to get there thoughtfully with as little unnecessary collateral damage to innocent people as possible.