Virginia Governor Closes Gun Loophole

Lucky45 · Post by **Lucky45** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:37 pm

People Treated For Mental Health Can't Buy GunsKPRC - NBC News
POSTED: 12:21 pm CDT April 30, 2007
UPDATED: 12:25 pm CDT April 30, 2007

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia's governor said he has closed a loophole in state gun laws that allowed a mentally disturbed Virginia Tech student to acquire the guns he used in a campus massacre.

Gov. Tim Kaine issued an executive order that requires anyone found to be dangerous and ordered to undergo involuntary mental health treatment be included on a database of people prohibited from buying guns. Gun dealers must check the database before selling a firearm.

A judge ruled Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho was a danger to himself and ordered him to undergo psychiatric counseling. But because he was treated as an outpatient and never committed to a mental health hospital, his name never made it into the database.

Cho killed 32 students and faculty members before taking his own life in the rampage.

My question is do you think that this will spread across to other states??

pbandjelly · Post by **pbandjelly** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:28 pm

doesn't "involuntary" mean, I dunno, NOT outpatient?

so, Cho followed the Judge's orders, and would still have qualified under the new provisions.

MORE LAWS!!!!! THAT'LL MAKE IT SAFER!!!!

and again

HankB · Post by **HankB** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:54 pm

Certainly, insane people ought not have guns. Heck, some of them probably shouldn't be running around loose.

But looking at how the government has issued and enforced TROs and applied gun prohibitions - retroactively! - even for misdemeanor domestic cases, I'd feel better about the government using psychiatry to ban gun possession if psychiatry were actually a science.

Photoman · Post by **Photoman** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:14 pm

Buying a gun was not the crime that was committed. Shooting 32+ people was the crime that was commited.

I can't decide who is more psychotic, Cho or the politicians.

KBCraig · Post by **KBCraig** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:35 pm

pbandjelly wrote:doesn't "involuntary" mean, I dunno, NOT outpatient?

That's what "involuntary commitment" would mean. But "involuntary treatment" means that a judge has ordered it, even if it's outpatient.

Neither should be an automatic disqualifier just because a judge was persuaded.

Kevin

pbandjelly · Post by **pbandjelly** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:55 pm

good point.