Psychological Tests For Gun Buyers?
That is what one cop in Utah thinks:
There have been many stories recently of shootings involving persons with mental problems. Most of the major mass shootings seemed to have the suspects suffering from some mental illness. I often wondered if there should be a mechanism put in place as part of the gun-purchasing process that verifies the mental health of the person purchasing the weapon. . .
Officers have to go through a stringent hiring process that includes a psychological examination. The same is true for federal agents. After these tests along with backgrounds and numerous other hiring steps, we are trained how to use a firearm and when to use it appropriately.
So, from a story in N.J., how are those psychological tests working out?
Authorities say they have no idea why Sgt. Mark Lee, an 18-year department veteran, burst into the apartment at Project Freedom, a home for people with disabilities on Hutchinson Road. Knocking the woman from her wheelchair, Lee also allegedly went after the boy and assaulted him as well.
He stripped naked, tried to assault the woman and child, then tried to jump out the window and failing that, started choking the woman. Cops arrested the berserk officer who on the way back to the station kicked the back window out of the patrol car and escaped, only to be captured a short time later.
Anyway, back to the Anonymous Cop in the first article calling for psychological testing of gun buyers. States - are supposed to - report “mental cases” to the FBI’s NICS instant check database which in theory prevent most criminals and unbalanced people from getting approval for a gun. Alas, we live in a less than perfect world where some folks on their way to madness (but not quite there yet) slip through the cracks. That’s alright. It’s better than punishing all for the possible nuttiness of a very rare few.
Further, who decides (in the case - say - of simple neurosis, anxiety, OCB,) what constitutes a dangerous psychological problem? I could see a liberal psychologist declaring that anyone claiming to be a Republican is unfit for firearm ownership.
Incidentally, the Anonymous Cop also favors universal gun registration. The government should know just what guns you own.
It’s obvious that this cop became one for power, and he rejects anyone else having power. As we all know, that is what most gun control is all about.
6 Responses to “Psychological Tests For Gun Buyers?”
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on 21 Sep 2012 at 6:49 am # comatus
There oughta be a psychological test for who gets to design the psychological tests. And for those testers, a further test. One fervently hopes all those psychologists get the help they so obviously need. They suffer from infinite regression.
The APA “feels” that one-third of us currently have diagnosable mental disorders (Grohol, 2010). The rest of us? Not diagnosed yet.
on 21 Sep 2012 at 9:42 am # Gerry
Officer, does the name Drew Peterson ring a bell?
Gerry
on 21 Sep 2012 at 12:04 pm # Dave_H
The comments were mostly pro gun, and there many well thought out responses. At this stage, after years of hearing the same thing over and over from them, my only response to those that want strict gun controls is far less civil than any of those comments. I’ll leave that response to your imagination.
We have had this debate for decades now. We won.(mostly) You lost, but you pro control folks can take some satisfaction from knowing that the economic policies of your statist buddies in government will have many of us sufficiently impoverished that we won’t buying nearly as much guns or ammo as we might have otherwise.
on 21 Sep 2012 at 3:36 pm # JackOfClubs
While we’re at it, why not institute psychological and drug testing for journalists and other people who want to exercise their 1st amendment rights? That should go over well in Hollywood.
on 22 Sep 2012 at 11:06 am # Granny Grunch
By jeepers I’m all for it. As long as I take my haldol and lithium and have the occasional electrical brain therapy I’m just fine..sort of.
on 22 Sep 2012 at 8:56 pm # Richard
After talking to prospective cops who have been through the psych screening, I have the suspicion that it is designed to screen out people who actually believe in the Constitution.