Dear Vice President Biden:
We have many gun control laws.* A huge gap seems to exist in the reporting of questionable persons to gun dealers.* I recently heard it stated during a discussion after the Tuscon shooting that eighty percent of the persons deemed by various authorities to be mentally or socially unfit for gun ownership are never reported to the gun dealers.* That is why the Tuscon shooter was not on any gun dealer's list of persons who should be prevented from buying guns.*
Teachers and school officials are required to report signs of child abuse--or risk being held personally responsible for any subsequent child abuse.* Women's health professionals are required to ask about even small bruises on a patient, and they are required to report these or risk being held accountable for any subsequent pattern of spousal abuse.*
It appears that there is a need for laws which require mental health professionals, police and law enforcement personnel, and teachers and other education officials to report signs of mental or emotional instability to a clearing house for gun dealers.* These laws should include responsibilties and consequences such as those mentioned above.* Of course, seriousness and/or patterns of instability should be taken into account in order to weed out nervous nellies and grudge reports. I would think gun dealers would be in favor of such reporting requirements; they are often blamed for selling arms to unstable persons.* But they can't necessarily recognize instability as readily as officials who have dealt with such persons on a day-to-day basis.
Is this suggestion worthy of consideration?
We have many gun control laws.* A huge gap seems to exist in the reporting of questionable persons to gun dealers.* I recently heard it stated during a discussion after the Tuscon shooting that eighty percent of the persons deemed by various authorities to be mentally or socially unfit for gun ownership are never reported to the gun dealers.* That is why the Tuscon shooter was not on any gun dealer's list of persons who should be prevented from buying guns.*
Teachers and school officials are required to report signs of child abuse--or risk being held personally responsible for any subsequent child abuse.* Women's health professionals are required to ask about even small bruises on a patient, and they are required to report these or risk being held accountable for any subsequent pattern of spousal abuse.*
It appears that there is a need for laws which require mental health professionals, police and law enforcement personnel, and teachers and other education officials to report signs of mental or emotional instability to a clearing house for gun dealers.* These laws should include responsibilties and consequences such as those mentioned above.* Of course, seriousness and/or patterns of instability should be taken into account in order to weed out nervous nellies and grudge reports. I would think gun dealers would be in favor of such reporting requirements; they are often blamed for selling arms to unstable persons.* But they can't necessarily recognize instability as readily as officials who have dealt with such persons on a day-to-day basis.
Is this suggestion worthy of consideration?