Cornyn announced the bill in an interview this month with traditionally liberal “Texas Monthly” magazine. According to Cornyn the “Graham-Cornyn Mental Health and Criminal Justice Reform Act” expands the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) system to include Americans who have sought treatment for mental health issues. The bill seems to be nearly identical to an Executive Order issued last Friday by Obama.
Cornyn’s examples of those to be stripped of their Second Amendment rights under his bill were people who sought treatment, but had no criminal record and had never been deemed a threat by doctors or a court.
"Journalism, n. A job for people who flunked out of STEM courses, enjoy making up stories, and have no detectable integrity or morals."
Have the details? Would the NCIS result in denying firearms to anyone who ever sought treatment for a mental health issue? Is there a "recency" window? What is "treatment"? Is it in-patient or a prescription that can be tied to a mental health problem (this would be horrible), or some sort of diagnosis?
I'm in the minority, but I don't have a problem tying some sort of mental illness background check to firearms purchases. I just have serious concerns about our government's ability to do that in a manner that meets the intended outcome. And until they indicate HOW they'd do it, I wouldn't support it.
According to the NIH, 6.7% of the population experiences a "major depressive disorder" each year. I can see that leading to the restriction of a lot of people over time.. Or make it so people don't seek treatment. Or make it so that you have to "prove" that you're mentally fit, which is going to cost a fortune.
cb1000rider wrote:Or make it so people don't seek treatment. Or make it so that you have to "prove" that you're mentally fit, which is going to cost a fortune.
Either way would be unconstitutional and a nightmare.
One can be declared to be "mentality unfit/ill/insane" but there is no such diagnosis for being "mentally fit" or "sane".
It seems a paradox that a person who seeks help with a mental problem would be penalized when a person doesn't seek help is not.
With the current state of the 2nd Amendment in America, I'm not convinced that there is any level of constitutional protection here. It's constitutional to require background checks. It's constitutional to essentially tax us for the right via permits. And if you violate social norms, it's constitutional to take you to jail.
The paradox you mention exists other places where there is a burden to prove that you are healthy. Once you prove you are healthy, doctors visits can only degrade that condition. I know it's true of pilots. There are probably other occupations and hobbies that fall into the same category.
Senator Cornyn is supposed to be a 2nd Amendment supporter. How can he be doing this? Out of Bloomberg, I'd expect it. But Bloomberg isn't a Senator for Texas.
chasfm11 wrote:Senator Cornyn is supposed to be a 2nd Amendment supporter. How can he be doing this? Out of Bloomberg, I'd expect it. But Bloomberg isn't a Senator for Texas.
Maybe he saw all the nutjobs shooting up schools, malls, government buildings, and movie theaters and thought "hey maybe we should modify the current background check to better weed out wack jobs"
Where pray tell is the bill Mr. Stockman? I'd certainly like to read it to form my own opinion, rather than take the political ranting of a guy getting his butt handed to him in the primary. I noted Stockman's article contains a claim that he "has a 100% lifetime rating from the NRA." This is most interesting since the NRA gives letter grades, not grades in percentages.
He may be right, but I find it very hard to believe. Especially since Sen. Graham is being opposed in the primary by a Ron Paul supported candidate.
I don't know what a Bloomberg Act is, but Cornyn is bragging on his FB page that he has introduced a New Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. ??? really??? I thought that had been shot down (pun intended) already! we don't need that, and if you think we do, please think about it some more. We would end up with Kalifornia and New York telling Texas and Utah what to do with regards to concealed carry, that's the last think we need.
~Tracy
Gun control is what you talk about when you don't want to talk about the truth ~ Colion Noir
Can 't find any specifics....did find the Texas Monthly interview.....but his answer also does not contain any specifics, and the TM characterization of the bill is different than that of Stockman, in that it ties it with a history of violence.
"Journalism, n. A job for people who flunked out of STEM courses, enjoy making up stories, and have no detectable integrity or morals."
Can't find anything hard about the Graham-Cornyn Mental Healthcare Act that is being bantered around.
Regarding reciprocity.
Sen. Cornyn Introduces Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
Jan 10 2014
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014, which would allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state that also has concealed carry laws. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA), Graham (R-SC), Boozman (R-AR), Inhofe (R-OK), Crapo (R-ID), Burr (R-NC), Cochran (R-MS), Johanns (R-NE), Enzi (R-WY), Moran (R-KS), Roberts (R-KS), and Portman (R-OH).
“This bill strengthens two of our nation’s most fundamental rights, ensuring law-abiding gun owners can lawfully carry their weapons into like-minded states, while respecting the rights of states to adopt laws that are best-suited for the people of that state. This is an important affirmation of the Second Amendment and one that has been a top priority of law-abiding gun owners in Texas for some time. It is time to get this done.
The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014 would treat state-issued concealed-carry permits like drivers’ licenses, allowing law-abiding citizens with concealed carry privileges to concealed-carry in any other states that also permit it by law.
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SewTexas wrote:I don't know what a Bloomberg Act is, but Cornyn is bragging on his FB page that he has introduced a New Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. ??? really??? I thought that had been shot down (pun intended) already! we don't need that, and if you think we do, please think about it some more. We would end up with Kalifornia and New York telling Texas and Utah what to do with regards to concealed carry, that's the last think we need.
Without more detail, trying to see how this would be a bad thing.
According to the Washington Post, Senate Republicans plan on introducing an amendment that would allow individuals with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits or licenses.
SewTexas wrote:I don't know what a Bloomberg Act is, but Cornyn is bragging on his FB page that he has introduced a New Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. ??? really??? I thought that had been shot down (pun intended) already! we don't need that, and if you think we do, please think about it some more. We would end up with Kalifornia and New York telling Texas and Utah what to do with regards to concealed carry, that's the last think we need.
Without more detail, trying to see how this would be a bad thing.
According to the Washington Post, Senate Republicans plan on introducing an amendment that would allow individuals with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits or licenses.
They MIGHT get the reciprocity passed....but you know there will be TONS of changes and bargaining (I'll get to that in a second)
BUT
the Manchin-Toomey Background Check bill will be the trade off
OK, the bargaining stuff....you KNOW that New York and California is not going to allow people with CHL's from states like like TX where we just REDUCED our class time carry in their states. And what about states like VT where you don't have to have a card to carry, what happens to them?
this is a states rights issue it is not Federal! NONONO!
~Tracy
Gun control is what you talk about when you don't want to talk about the truth ~ Colion Noir
