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Unfit to Stand Trial, Yet Fit to Have a Gun?

Posted: May 29, 2011

arlier today, Jared Loughner, a troubled young man who is accused of shooting 20 innocent people, including my colleague, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was found unfit to stand trial for his actions.

Mr. Loughner's mental and emotional troubles have been well documented and were well known among classmates, professors and acquaintances well before Mr. Loughner opened fire on that fateful January day. Yet, despite the belief that Mr. Loughner could be a danger to himself and others, our federal laws, and our mental health system, were unable to live up to the commonsense belief that those who are mentally ill should not be able to purchase and own a gun.

Unfortunately, our nation's gun lobby and their allies in Congress refuse to have an open and honest conversation about how to protect the rights of responsible gun owners, while being equally vigilant in protecting the rights of all Americans to assemble in peace.

Congress could start by considering proposed legislation that would prohibit those on the "no fly" list from buying a gun -- something they are currently allowed to do. I've cosponsored this bipartisan legislation along with 24 colleagues (both Republicans and Democrats), yet we are still waiting for a vote on this bill.

Ultimately, our nation requires a mix of improved mental health services, improved information sharing among authorities, and a stricter control of the sale and possession of guns. Yet if we can't even debate gun control legislation in our halls of Congress, then we will never be able to ensure that our children can go to school, to church or to the local grocery store and return safely home.

Today's finding is the starkest sign yet that our nation's gun laws are broken and need to be fixed. When our nation's laws allow a troubled individual to purchase a gun, but can't hold that same person responsible for their actions, then it is clearer than ever that we need to act.

;

You honestly think that if the gun laws were - more strict

[ In Reply To ..]
that a nut job wanting to harm others with a gun won't be able to obtain one? I find that line of thinking naive actually. Bad people will always find a way to get the weapons they want. Just like drugs. They aren't legal but the people who want them always seem to find a way to get them regardless of the law.

Well, in following that line of thinking... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
We should just legalize drugs, I suppose? Stricter gun laws may not stop the bad guys from getting guns, but it would allow guns to be taken away/punishment if these bad guys slip up and get caught with one BEFORE they're able to go on a shooting spree, same as some bad guys often get caught/punished with illegal drugs.

Really? Dont think so. They usually get caught AFTER - killing defenseless good peoplenm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

When talking about the loss of life behind mass shootings, - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
even ONE exception to your alleged "usually" would justify changing gun laws within this context, unless of course gun fanatics consider the 6 dead, 14 injured and recovering Rep Giffords to be that ever impersonal so-called collateral damage, i.e. the price we pay for 2nd amendment rights.

I wonder if you would be so casual about this if it had been one of your own family members unfortunate enough to be in that Safeway parking lot that morning.

Dont you understand? Laws dont matter to these people. - DONT go there. -family member murdered!!

[ In Reply To ..]
shot in the head by a crazy person who found a way to get a gun! Thats what happens. I have studied gun laws and statistics. Dont assume anything when typing a message.

Dont go there? Collateral damage from lax gun laws - push your buttons?

[ In Reply To ..]
It should. Just ask Mark Kelly. He can fill you in on all the gorey details.

I hear Gabby Giffords finally got her skull reattached - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
only 5 short months after the gunshot wound to her head. I wonder how long she will have to wear the helmut? I guess if her luck holds out, she can manage to grow some hair to cover the scar up before she goes sans helmut. Does hair grow over a steel plate? Or maybe she got one of those nifty DOC procedures (Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty) where you can actually adjust the size of your own skull to achieve a more uniform normal appearance. Wigs and hats might just do the trick, huh?

Gun laws? What gun laws? Ever hear of James Brady? Giffords Gun Law has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?

Absolutely. Sitting around doing nothing and giving - an implicit green light

[ In Reply To ..]
makes perfect sense. NOT! Fact is that YES, I think if it were against the law for people with documentable mental disorders to buy guns, it just might help prevent tragedies of this nature. Even if such a law were to prevent only ONE more mass shooting, it would be worthwhile, and it certainly is better than upchucking this standard 2nd amendment absolutist garbage.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

By my read, the intent of the founding fathers was to grant the right to bear arms WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF maintaining a well regulated militia for the security of the state. Why else, do you suppose, would they attach the two concepts together in the same sentence?

I see nothing here that indicates every man, woman and child has this right. The point you raise is not a problem with the law itself, rather one of enforcement. We dont want our kids armed. We restrict access to persons with criminal records. Why not restrict or even forbid persons with known mental disorders? This is just plain ole common sense, especially in light of this most recent incident.

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