Legislation intended “to ensure that those who have been declared an imminent danger to themselves or others aren’t legally able to obtain a firearm” was introduced yesterday by a bipartisan group of senators, lead by South Carolina republican Lindsay Graham. The bill, written with help from the N.R.A., would prevent persons involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital, or declared incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case, or found not guilty by reason of insanity, from buying guns.
Article →Of further interest:
Bill would block gun purchases by mentally ill (USA Today)
Senators seek tougher gun background checks for mentally ill (Reuters)
NRA embraces Senate bill on mental illness (Washington Times)
This bill seems to be modelled on the Virginia law enacted after the Virginia Tech shootings. Anyone considering the issues of Second Amendment Rights and mental illness can be better informed by considering the case of Mr. Brandon Raub.
https://www.rutherford.org/key_cases/key_cases_brandon_raub/
Even though a judge found Mr. Raub’s commitment to be fraudulent and ordered his release just minutes before forced medication by the Department of Veterans Affairs was to begin, he must still petition to have his gun rights restored. This restoration process can take years and be very costly, but the law is clear. If you have been committed, fraudulently or not, you loose your gun rights.
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A *voluntary* commitment can quickly turn to an *involuntary* commitment – for *anyone* – based on all kinds of factors – lack of sleep; prolonged stress or trauma; adverse reaction to prescription drugs, etc.
The idea that Senator Feinstein is targeting Veterans who have been labeled with PTSD – to strip their second amendment rights makes my blood boil.
This is *not* about guns, or safety.
It’s about freedom (lack thereof).
Duane
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Subvet416,
Thank you for your service.
Duane
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I find it very interesting that the NRA helped to write the damned bill.
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Here’s an interesting article that will make you think.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/03/07/killing-america/
I found the references to “Cardboard Cut-outs” reminding me of Miyamoto Musashi’s discourse on strategy “The Book of Five Rings”. Mushashi states that “there are no weapons until bodies clash”. Any device that kills at a distance is not a weapon, for the true weapon to exist, it must be directly connected to and be an extension of the human will or “chi”. In ages past, every “gentleman” carried a sword or dagger.
Today, officially sanctioned “sheeplemen” can easily obtain a permit to carry an open or concealed firearm, but numerous laws forbid the carrying of defensive knives of a practical size and devices such as brass knuckles (tactical gloves), nunchaku, blackjacks, etc.
The fitting of a a bayonet to a firearm became a particular concern of gun control advocates. I wonder if they realized the real motive for this prohibition was because the fixing of a bayonet transformed an otherwise useless instrument of political power (an empty rifle) into a real weapon?
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Subvet; Thanks for your service.
Every person in America owns access to an Assault Weapon, every time they put the keys in the ignition, . . . if they choose to use it as such.
Let’s hear from Senator Hypocrite herself, shall we?
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/citizen-warrior/2013/mar/8/feinstein-ptsd-veteran-assault-weapons-gun-ban/
And Senator Hypocrite’s ‘Never let a crisis go to waste’ over Newtown CT too.
http://psychroaches.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-newton-ct-school-massacre-and.html
Hit my links and posting tags to discover What she’s got going on in her own hometown, as a “Government Jobs Program”.
But then, it Is Dianne, and Every child in her hometown is in need of being junk scienced into a mental illness diagnosis.
http://psychroaches.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-san-francisco-theyre-after-every.html
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Remember psychiatry’s two pillars: money (Big Pharma and greedy psychiatrists) and social control. This is just government using psychiatry to deprive people of their second amendment rights. Nothing unusual here.
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These senators are nothing but a bunch of weasels who are throwing those of us labeled as mentally ill under the bus. I can say this because one of them is one of my senators. The only reason he signed this bill is because he’s facing a very tough re-election in a state that’s gone entirely RepubliCANT and he’s a Democrat that they paint as an Obama flunky. Even the Democrates hate President Obama in my state. If I remember correctly another one of the weasels in this group is also facing a tough re-election. So, they’re just using us to further their own ends. I guess that’s part of the definition of being a politician these days. They will do anything to save their sorry behinds, even if it’s ethically and morally wrong on so many levels.
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Man committed and then loses gun rights for refusing treatment for chest pains.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nUv9pjxq5QI
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