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ChrisHayes's Blog

by ChrisHayes from St. Louis

Last Post 22 days, 11 hours Ago


Mentally Ill Patients With Guns
Aug 22, 2007 | 4:05 PM
Category: News
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The State of Illinois may soon close a loophole exposed by the Virginia Tech mass shootings.

We now know Seung-Hui Cho struggled with mental health issues and was identified as a potential danger before his shooting rampage.

Cho was not listed in a FBI Database called NICS (The National Instant Criminal Background Check System) that attempts to track those who are mentally ill and should not buy firearms.

The FBI depends on the individual states to report those with disqualifying mental health histories to NICS.

Only 22 states currently report to the database.  Missouri reports.  Illinois does not.

Tonight in the Fox Files on Fox 2 News at Nine, we're going to look closer at why this is going on and what the State of Illinois is doing to change its NICS reporting.

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LadyCardFan read my blog view my photos
Aug 22, 2007 | 5:26 PM

These laws are necessary to protect those with a brain disorder, just as they protect the public. No matter how "well" an individual may be with their illness, there are risks associated when an individual becomes symptommatic. All states should participate in the NICS system as a form of protection for their citizens. Shame on those that don't.
LadyCardFan read my blog view my photos
Aug 22, 2007 | 5:37 PM

Chris . . . one last thing. The term Mentally Ill Patients identifies an individual by the disorder, which can be very stigmatizing. Those with a brain disorder can suffer so much from the stigma within their community, can we rely on the media to help battle that stigma by not identifying the person as the illness? We're all people and for those with a diagnosis or illness, can't we just be a bit more sensitive to an already sensitive population?

While I understand the impact of the phrase "Mentally Ill Patients with Guns" is not as jazzy as "Should Individuals with Brain Disorders be Allowed to Possess Guns", the end result is the same. Why, because you are talking about taking away a right of an individual to own a gun. No matter what, the pro/con gun movement will have something to say about it.
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ChrisHayes

I'm an investigative reporter looking to expose crime and corruption. I'm interested in uncovering anything citizens should know about. You are my eyes and ears. Tell me what's going on.

Member Since: 9/13/2006


 

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