In the wake of mass shootings, there's always a lot of talk about "mental health." But what does that mean, exactly? What are the existing checks that are supposed to keep dangerous people from buying weapons, and how do they fail? Axios.com's Caitlin Owens has the answers.
The big picture: There's a relatively broad agreement that some people's mental illness should stop them from buying an AR-15, but the politics of mass shootings can easily inflame some unfair stigmas about mental health. Keep in mind that most people with a mental illness are not violent, and most gun crimes are not committed by people with serious mental illnesses.
The details: There are 3 layers to how the existing system tries to bar mentally ill people from buying guns, Caitlin reports, and they all have some pretty big holes.
- The system only flags people based on certain interactions with law enforcement — namely, being involuntarily committed or found unfit in a criminal trial. That won't catch people who haven't been treated, yet it sweeps up others who may not actually be dangerous.
- Even if you've had an interaction with the mental health system that would qualify, your name might not be reported to the federal background check system. There's a bipartisan Senate bill to encourage more reporting.
- Even if your mental illness has been deemed dangerous, and even if you're in the system for background checks, that only matters if you're subject to a background check. And private sellers don't have to perform them.
Go deeper: Caitlin has more details about the existing system and the chances that Congress will change it.
Source Axios.com
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