[Vision2020] Georgia backs relaxing gun laws for mentally ill

[Art Deco]

God and guns -- that's Georgia.

w.


On Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 2:22 PM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

> Courtesy of the Washington Times at:
>
>
>
> http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/7/ga-backs-relaxing-gun-laws-mentally-ill/
>
>
> -------------------------------------
>
>
> Ga. backs relaxing gun laws for mentally ill
>
>
> ATLANTA — While some states push to tighten gun control laws after the
> Connecticut school massacre, lawmakers in gun-friendly Georgia want to ease
> rules preventing some mentally ill people from getting licenses to carry
> firearms.
>
>
> Legislators in Georgia's House voted 117-56 on Thursday to allow people
> who have voluntarily sought inpatient treatment for mental illness or
> substance abuse to get licenses. The same bill would force officials to
> check on whether applicants have received involuntary treatment in the past
> five years before issuing licenses. Georgia also may change its laws to
> allow people to carry guns in churches, bars and on college campuses,
> contrary to what's happening elsewhere in the United States.
>
>
> Judges in Georgia now have discretion over whether to grant a license to
> carry a weapon to anyone who has received inpatient treatment at a mental
> hospital or substance abuse treatment center in the last five years,
> whether it's voluntary or not.
>
>
> "Simply being hospitalized doesn't make a person a criminal or a threat,"
> said Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, the bill sponsor, in a statement. The
> legislation now heads to the state Senate.
>
>
> That change is part of a larger package showcasing the local Republican
> philosophy on guns. The plan, backed by a gun owners group called
> GeorgiaCarry.Org, would allow people to carry weapons in churches, bars
> and college campuses — despite the objections of higher education
> officials. In response to a shooting rampage that killed 26 people in
> Connecticut, it would allow school officials to arm their employees.
>
>
> Democrats resisted the proposal, although they conceded it would likely
> pass in the GOP-dominated House of Representatives. They argued that
> allowing guns in more places will not make society safer and may lead to
> more deaths.
>
>
> "I'm not, by nature, a worrier," said Rep. Scott Holcomb, a Democrat. "But
> I worry that the mix of alcohol, drugs, sex and immaturity on college
> campuses could be fatal."
>
>
> Law enforcement officials say they now screen people seeking to carry guns
> against a database with information on involuntary treatment orders, though
> officials acknowledge it is probably incomplete. Judges can require that
> people seeking a license authorize the release of treatment records and
> allow the judge to get a recommendation from treatment providers. Because
> there is no single clearinghouse for treatment information, judges would
> have to send waivers to multiple hospitals or treatment centers to get
> information.
>
>
> Jasperse's bill would require that courts submit involuntary treatment
> orders to a database, and the legislation would force judges to run those
> checks before issuing a license to carry a weapon. It would also ban people
> whom law enforcement officials hear making threats against others in the
> last five years from carrying weapons. Those represented by guardians or
> conservators because of mental illness or drug abuse would also be
> disqualified.
>
>
> One prosecutor said he was concerned about the provision because not
> everyone with serious mental illness is forced to receive treatment,
> meaning they would be eligible to carry weapons.
>
>
> "My concern would be there's got to be people who voluntarily seek
> inpatient treatment who wouldn't be any less dangerous than if they're sent
> there involuntarily," Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said
> Wednesday.
>
>
> Federal law prohibits giving or selling guns to anyone who judged to be
> "mentally defective" or those committed to a mental institution. States set
> their own standards on who can carry weapons. Some states use the same
> mental health threshold when deciding whether someone should be prohibited
> from carrying a gun.
>
>
> Other states like Georgia have gone further. For example, Massachusetts
> allows authorities to deny people a license to carry if applicants have
> been confined for mental health treatment, according to a survey by the
> National Conference of State Legislatures. Mississippi will deny licenses
> to people who have been committed, voluntary or otherwise, unless a
> psychiatrist testifies they have been free of mental illness for five
> years. Texas considers psychiatric hospitalization grounds for being
> refused to carry a concealed weapon.
>
> --------------------
>
> Ken Haiterman shows off a CMMG 5.56mm AR 15 at the 2013 Rocky Mountain Gun
> Show on Jan. 6 in Sandy, Utah. In spite of the recent school shootings in
> Newtown, Conn., gun enthusiasts flocked to the show to purchase weapons and
> ammunition.
>
> [image: image.jpeg]
>
> -------------------------------------
>
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "There's room at the top they are telling you still
> But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
> If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
>
> - John Lennon
>
>
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-- 
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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