11 states are considering a law that could transform how the US prevents gun violence
http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-violence-law-transforms-mental-health-approach-2016-9And the suicide rate, while equal to many other high-income countries, is still marred by the fact guns are the method of choice eight times more often.
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The proposed law permits judges to order police officers to confiscate people's firearms for up to one year if those officers (or in certain cases, family members) report the person is at-risk for suicidal or homicidal behavior. The states considering the law include Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
California and Indiana passed similar versions of the law earlier this year, and Connecticut has had one in place since 1999.
These laws would give police and family members the power to temporarily confiscate guns from people who might harm themselves or others. Letting PEOPLE have input into such matters is important because human judgement is crucial to commonsense intervention in situations that may turn tragic.
The gun rights movement has worked diligently for the last 40 + years to remove human judgement from the gun industry. "Shall issue" for concealed carry, the defeat of permit to purchase laws and making sales after only three days even if a background check isn't clean all serve to remove human judgement from the gun transaction. If the gun rights movement had their way guns would be available in vending machines.
This is what common sense looks like.
Be a single issue voter if only for one or two election cycles.
Peregrine
(992 posts)Common sense beats due process. Where else can we use this process?
flamin lib
(14,559 posts)from volatile situations.
Freedom of speech is curtailed for as little as disturbing the peace.
Freedom of assembly is curtailed when a permit for parade is required.
Freedom of religion is curtailed when illegal drugs are denied as the practice of that religion as are tax restrictions on churches involving themselves in political campaigns.
So, yeah, common sense is vital to to all these rights. What makes guns so fucking special?
billh58
(6,641 posts)in vigilante instant justice stand-your-ground statutes?
rurallib
(63,201 posts)And what would stop them from going to the next gun show and picking up a new gun?
Hopefully there is some thought on things like that.
Jerry442
(1,265 posts)...specializing in dealing with people who are a danger to themselves and others. Do you suppose other countries might have something like that we could copy?
billh58
(6,641 posts)guns enshrined in their constitutions so most likely "people who are a danger to themselves and others" don't get a gun in the first place.
There are trained professionals who specialize in dealing with anti-social and troubled people: they're called police.
forgotmylogin
(7,676 posts)People whose guns are confiscated should be on a red-hot list that pops up at every gun retailer to not sell them any more.
Selling a gun to someone on the hot list should make the seller also subject to prosecution if that person then assaults or kills themself or someone else with it.