I’m so sick of the phrase “common sense” being used by politicians. They use it in a manner to say, “if you disagree, you’re an idiot”. It’s dismissive. I’m tired of it, on both sides.
I don’t trust Trump. In his current stance, he speaks about the background check systems being only as good as the records within and mentions both criminal and mental health records. I want an explanation of the latter before I’ll entertain it. Is he talking about diagnosed disorders that are linked to violent behavior like schizophrenia or bi-polar or are we talking an anti-depressant prescription for someone who just lost a spouse?
And the big question has already been posed, why the change of heart regarding the term “assault weapon”. My gut tells me it’s vote pandering, but I’d love to be wrong.
The 2A is an issue where I want the candidate to hold an unwaivering position, across time. What he says now is on the same page I am, but that wasn’t what he’s always said so I’m naturally going to look at him sideways on the matter. I’d be very interested to hear him speak about the apparent change. Did he not mean how it sounded back in 2000, or did he have a change of stance and why?
I’m not defending Trump in the least but look at Reagan’s record. That’s not a slight against Reagan either.
ETA:
I was referring to Reagan changing his mind on a few issues as he got older from the time he was the Governor of California, not his positions on guns.
I never took a real psych class, my point was to raise the questions about what he means and intends by discussing mental health records in connection with firearm background checks.
I’m of the understanding though, that there are some mental conditions or disorders that do cause or make the afflicted more prone to violent behavior.
Trump wants to fix background checks. Background checks violate our natural right to keep and bear arms, and must be scrapped.
BACKGROUND CHECKS. There has been a national background check system in place since 1998. Every time a person buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer – which is the overwhelming majority of all gun purchases – they go through a federal background check. Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check – they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them. So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners. When the system was created, gun owners were promised that it would be instant, accurate and fair. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case today. Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system – and it should go without saying that a system’s only going to be as effective as the records that are put into it. What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.
Background checks don’t work, and infringe on our RKBA. But let’s assume there is 1-800-NOT-A-FELON; will you make the check mandatory? Must FFLs run the check?
Pay, or have the buyer pay, $25-40 to an FFL to run a 4473.
Violent behavior, depression, anxiety, whatever- the standard for review should be medication.
If talking things out doesn’t help, and your brain chemistry is off, the Doc needs to tell the Judge if you present a risk or not. Constitutionally, only a judge is capable of removing rights, and only then through due process.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the friendliest bi-polar SSRI popper in town… if your brain needs external regulation via pills, maybe there are better hobbies for you to pursue.
Mental illness is a strong risk factor for suicide, not for homicide. Preventing pill-poppers from buying guns will not even register on the radar. Those responsible for gun violence are by far troubled young men, who often they themselves were victims of violence, starting at a young age. Strong families, wherein the mother and father are present, and firm judeo-christian morals are taught, are the solution to end the gun violence.
They absolutely do… thousands and thousands times per year.
I’m sure many of us here personally have seen a dude get denied. I have plenty of times, and I’m just a consumer.
Everyone runs the check via a smartphone app. It’s free and it tells you:
“Firearms Prohibited” Yes or No
“No Fly List” Yes or No
“Sex Offender Registry” Yes or No
We already serve the Sex Offender Registry online for free anyway. Just give every citizen an entry.
99% of the checks will be done by employers anyway, and it will get the private background checking companies out of the business of giving applicants the thumbs up or thumbs down… which is a weird situation anyway.
It also solves the “Am I on the No Fly List?” and “Don’t you have to tell me?” issue.
There is another solution, of course, one which very few dare mention: Remove the guns in the manner Australia did in 1996. That will definitely reduce violence committed with guns, of which suicides would see 95% of the reduction. Are you turning in yours, KalashniKEV?
Obviously I don’t want a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and people with clean records don’t have anything to fear from a check that is 1) Truly instant 2) Accurate.
Will it inconvenience guys with active restraining orders or who have been adjudicated mentally defective… in addition to convicted felons?
You’re wrong. The mentally ill are more likely to be victims than victimize. The mentally ill, too, have a RKBA. Without due process, they get to keep their guns.
The drift from Judeo-Christian morals, and the disintegration of the nuclear family (read: married husband (male) and wife (female)), is responsible for the depravity of our youth.
Let’s be 100% honest here… No, they don’t require registration, and Yes checking works, it’s not checking that doesn’t work.
In fact, checking people out before completing the sale doesn’t even require serial numbers to work. The people already have SSNs, and they are the ones being checked. Also, the purpose of the check is not known.
Download the app and run your whole office, church, neighborhood, whatever. Most of that info is online in different places already anyway. I’m saying consolidate it, make it an authoritative source, and use it.
I’m surprised you didn’t generate a hypothetical… say a sweet old man with Alzheimer’s that likes to bust clays on the weekend…
If he’s medicated, put him in front of the judge and review the facts on record.
We could get way side tracked here, but religion and homophobia have nothing to do with it.
To get things back on track, I’d say Donald has laid out an EXCELLENT plan that should make us all very happy to see implemented.
How will the system be enforced (i.e., ensure people are being “responsible,” checking the buyer)?
You still haven’t made any credible claims that pill-poppers pose a danger. If you had paid your due diligence you’d learn that the mentally ill are not the problem. Here is a short primer: