wow... major media with a realistic view on gun control

[ccoker]

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3083618&page=1

[BradGroux]

It isn't rocket science, yet millions of people still can't get it through their thick skulls that armed citizens means fewer crimes simply because the criminals don't know if the citizens have the firepower to fight back.

"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." ... what a brilliant line.

[kauboy]

Not surprising from Mr. Stossel. He has always kept a level head about guns. You can see it in his video about gun control: Myth: Gun Control

Excellent article, thanks for posting it!

[glocklvr]

very good story I am surprised the media published such a truthful article on gun ownership

[MikeJ]

Aw! That's just Stossel. He's ABC's token conservative/libertarian. You know, they just keep him around to show that everybody who works for ABC isn't a communist.

Even Stossel concedes, "OK, it's a good idea to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable." So who's going to judge our mental stability before we buy a gun? Hillary Clinton? Once you start making concessions to the antis, you're screwed.

[kauboy]

Aw! That's just Stossel. He's ABC's token conservative/libertarian. You know, they just keep him around to show that everybody who works for ABC isn't a communist.

Even Stossel concedes, "OK, it's a good idea to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable." So who's going to judge our mental stability before we buy a gun? Hillary Clinton? Once you start making concessions to the antis, you're screwed.

But the point is still valid. If you have a history of mental instability, and are prone to violence, I think its in everyone's best interest that you not have a firearm.
Coming up with a standard is definitely a hairy thing to tackle and keep fair, but I think it should be pursued.

[kw5kw]

Yeah, just look at the standards we had to meet just to qualify for our Texas CHL! Should we expect any less from others?

411.172 ELIGIBILITY
(a) A person is eligible for a license to carry a concealed handgun if the person:

(1) is a legal resident of this state for the six-month period preceding the date of application under this subchapter or is otherwise eligible for a license under Section 411.173(a);

(2) is at least 21 years of age;

(3) has not been convicted of a felony;

(4) is not charged with the commission of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or an offense under Section 42.01, Penal Code, or of a felony under an information or indictment;

(5) is not a fugitive from justice for a felony or a Class A or Class B misdemeanor;

(6) is not a chemically dependent person;

(7) is not incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun;

(8) has not, in the five years preceding the date of application, been convicted of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or an offense under Section 42.01, Penal Code;

(9) is fully qualified under applicable federal and state law to purchase a handgun;

(10) has not been finally determined to be delinquent in making a child support payment administered or collected by the attorney general;

(11) has not been finally determined to be delinquent in the payment of a tax or other money collected by the comptroller, the tax collector of a political subdivision of the state, or any agency or subdivision of the state;

(12) has not been finally determined to be in default on a loan made under Chapter 57, Education Code;

(13) is not currently restricted under a court protective order or subject to a restraining order affecting the spousal relationship, other than a restraining order solely affecting property interests;

(14) has not, in the 10 years preceding the date of application, been adjudicated as having engaged in delinquent conduct violating a penal law of the grade of felony; and

(15) has not made any material misrepresentation, or failed to disclose any material fact, in an application submitted pursuant to Section 411.174 or in a request for application submitted pursuant to Section 411.175.

AND:

(d) For purposes of Subsection (a)(7), a person is incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun if the person:

(1) has been diagnosed by a licensed physician as suffering from a psychiatric disorder or condition that causes or is likely to cause substantial impairment in judgment, mood, perception, impulse
control, or intellectual ability;

(2) suffers from a psychiatric disorder or condition described by Subdivision (1) that:

(A) is in remission but is reasonably likely to redevelop at a future time; or

(B) requires continuous medical treatment to avoid redevelopment;

(3) has been diagnosed by a licensed physician or declared by a court to be incompetent to manage the person's own affairs; or

(4) has entered in a criminal proceeding a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

(e) The following constitutes evidence that a person has a psychiatric disorder or condition de-scribed by Subsection (d)(1):

(1) involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in the preceding five-year period;

(2) psychiatric hospitalization in the preceding two-year period;

(3) inpatient or residential substance abuse treatment in the preceding five-year period;

(4) diagnosis in the preceding five-year period by a licensed physician that the person is dependent on alcohol, a con-trolled substance, or a similar sub-stance; or

(5) diagnosis at any time by a licensed physician that the person suffers or has suffered from a psychiatric disorder or condition consisting of or relating to:

(A) schizophrenia or delusional disorder;

(B) bipolar disorder

(C) chronic dementia, whether caused by illness, brain defect, or brain injury;

(D) dissociative identity disorder;

(E) intermittent explosive dis-order; or

(F) antisocial personality disorder.;

(f) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), a person who has previously been diagnosed as suffering from a psychiatric disorder or condition described by Subsection (d) or listed in Subsection (e) is not because of that disorder or condition incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun if the per-son provides the department with a certificate from a licensed physician whose primary practice is in the field of psychiatry stating that the psychiatric disorder or condition is in remission and is not reasonably likely to develop at a future time.