Let me tell you this: nothing will scare the masses of undiagnosed and/or untreated mentally ill Americans away from the psychiatric care that they so dearly need quite like a database that will be intended to deny them access to firearms but that will undoubtedly be used for other purposes.
It would’ve scared me away, and that would’ve cost me my life.
Yikes. On the other hand I know two cops whose lives it would have saved. I was friends with Farron Barksdale before his schizophrenia got bad. He tried many times to have himself committed because he knew he was a danger to those around him. They always medicated and discharged him. I don’t know what the solution is, but there has to be something. And you know I’m coming from the same position as you are.
I have to agree with Geof here. The problem is that they need to deal with people with mental health no differently than they do any other illness, because after all, when you really get right down to it, it’s a chemical problem. Insurance companies ought to be required to pay the same. The problem is that they aren’t, and they won’t until someone makes them. And the statement above by Geof is enough of a reason to reconsider any sort of silly database idea they want to have. Losing someone that is as gifted as he is is crazy because someone thinks a lousy database is going to solve this problem. If someone wants to get their hands on the weapons, they will. The point is, treat them so you don’t have the problem to begin with. If that means opening back up the mental institutions for some people, then maybe that’s what we need to do.