Psych Exam Required To Own Gun in Illinois

[Phatty]

I've seen a lot of outlandish anti-gun bills proposed in Illinois this year, but HB2792 takes the cake.

According to the official summary of the bill:

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that an applicant for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card must receive a psychiatric or psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or clinical social worker and receive a certification by the psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or clinical social worker that he or she: (1) is not a danger to himself, herself, or to others; (2) does not lack the mental capacity to manage his or her own affairs; (3) is able to provide for his or her basic physical needs so as to guard himself or herself from serious harm without the assistance of family or others; and (4) does not have a state of mind manifested by violent, suicidal, threatening, or assaultive behavior that poses a clear and present danger to himself, herself, or to others at the time of the evaluation or in the future.

The anti-gun lobbyists will probably find a strong ally in psychiatrists to support this bill, since it will be a boon to that business with the millions of FOID card holders in Illinois who will have to receive psych exams.

Just to be clear, this is simply a proposed bill. It won't be passed so its nothing to get concerned about, but it reveals the outright antipathy for gun owners.

 

[Dframe]

Just another of the looney ideas being floated by the denizens of chicago.

 

[aka108]

I shoot with a gentleman who is a psychology professor. Says he analyzes everyone he meets. Says everyone, incl himself, has a few bits of crazy in them. If we ever have to undergo a psych exam, make sure the examiner loves the shooting sports.

 

[phil dirt]

Residents of Illinois should demand a law that would require all of their elected officials pass a psychiatric exam that would be administered by a gun owning doctor. There must be at least one legislator who would write such a bill.

 

[ThorinNNY]

I like Phil`s idea.I`d take it a step further and require anyone running for any elected office to pass a rigorous FBI background check and prove they have a paid in full $ One Billion Dollar Liability Insurance Policy covering damages caused by any legislative malfeasance and financial and/ or political corruption on their part!

 

[Mk VII]

Such evaluations only work on people who have willingly sought help for their problems, not people who are only there because the government made them.

 

[joeschmoe]

I would like to see a similar measure requiring an eval before anyone can vote for this politician. Clearly there is something wrong with those people.

 

[Trent]

So, you are assumed GUILTY of being mentally unfit and have to PROVE you are not, to exercise a fundamental human right.

And your right to keep or own your possessions lays at the sole discretion of one person? Not a jury of your peers, or the rule of an elected judge...?

I don't think so.

 

[Xelera]

I posted this on another forum, but it bears repeating here.

I talked to a Psych grad student once, who was in med school, and gun ownership came up (she brought it up, not me).

She said they should require all persons who want to purchase a firearm, to first pass a psych screening (one a year or one per gun, she didnt care).

She then said that if they did that, then she would NEVER clear anyone for ownership, because in her mind, the desire to even own a firearm indicated mental illness or instability, a sense of paranoia or detachment from society.

That kind of power in the hands of a person like that (and she is only one of thousands, I am sure) scares me. Talk about an agenda.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

Nobody is going to declare you sane. The liability is too huge. This is back door elimination of private ownership. Period.

 

[Phatty]

Nobody is going to declare you sane. The liability is too huge. This is back door elimination of private ownership. Period.

Spot on Derek. If this law ever passed, the next law would be to make psychiatrists liable for a shooting by a person they declared mentally competent. Then, psychiatrists would either refuse to do the exam or simply conclude that every person is mentally incompetent.

A close second place for the looniest law in Illinois this year is another anti-gun bill that would require all gun owners to have insurance that covered willful acts with their guns. Any idiot knows that insurance doesn't cover willful acts, so it would be impossible to comply with that law, which would make it a de facto ban on gun ownership.

 

[Spats McGee]

She then said that if they did that, then she would NEVER clear anyone for ownership, because in her mind, the desire to even own a firearm indicated mental illness or instability, a sense of paranoia or detachment from society.

(emphasis supplied)

This is exactly why I object to the idea of psych exams before getting a gun. It's a fairly short hop from that requirement to: "If you want a gun, you must be: (1) paranoid; (2) aggressive; or (3) unstable. Accordingly, you're not fit to own a gun."

 

[Armchair Warrior]

Illinois, isnt that a province in Russia?

 

[splattergun]

The same test should also be applied to all civil rights. Psych test to speak your mind in Illinois!

 

[Trent]

Illinois, isnt that a province in Russia?

No, but it's starting to feel like it should be renamed to "West New York" or "East **********"

It censored California spelled with a K??????

 

[neilsmth]

How many Russians have been allowed to vacation in Siberia because they were deemed to be a danger to the "government"? Rhetorical, I know, but who gets to deem me safe to have a gun, the same people who don't want me to own a gun in the first place. That's crazy itself.

 

[Yo Mama]

She then said that if they did that, then she would NEVER clear anyone for ownership, because in her mind, the desire to even own a firearm indicated mental illness or instability, a sense of paranoia or detachment from society.

That kind of power in the hands of a person like that (and she is only one of thousands, I am sure) scares me. Talk about an agenda.

And we wonder why many populations before us were wary of the mental professions. As a Counselor, you often must overcome distrust that has been bred by generations of horrible experiences when a well intentioned worker asked a bunch of questions.

Your friend was wrong in every sense of the helping profession. Do no harm. You also must take your own beliefs entirely out of it. ENTRIRELY NONJUDGMENTAL! That is hard, and not for everyone which is why it's hard to find a good Therapist. Otherwise, you damage the individual seeking help.

Added: I'm amazed what they are letting into the DSM V. If you have an emotion, it can be diagnosed.

 

[Jim K]

Years ago, there was a "joke" about an anti-gun lawmaker being interviewed. It went something like this:

Interviewer: "What are your goals in regard to gun control laws?"

Lawmaker: "We only want to make sure that people who are insane can't own guns."

Interviewer: "How will you know a person is insane?"

Lawmaker: "Anyone who wants a gun is insane."

Sounds like it is not a joke any more.

Jim

 

[GEM]

It would be very hard to find a psychiatrist who would willing to such a procedure.

If it were proposed, the local psychiatric and psychological associations would balk.

It would also been seen , IMHO, as unconstitutional as literacy tests for voting under similar principles.

Last, there is no good evidence that such interviews are reliable violence predictors.

 

[Ryanxia]

Illinois, isnt that a province in Russia?

Brilliant. Something that Archer would say.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Sounds like gun owners there need to move to a more gun friendly state.

 

[Black Butte]

How about a psych exam for politicians?

 

[Trent]

Sounds like gun owners there need to move to a more gun friendly state.

Man I get tired of hearing that.

I was born here. I've got 5 kids in school, who have friends. I have family here, living and buried. My garden is here. My fishing spots are here. My hunting spots are here. My hiking spots are here. My shooting buddies are here.

I have roots here.

And I'm not about to #%@$ move because some idiot politician proposes legislation, a bought-and-paid for legislature passes it, or a brain dead governor signs it.

If they pass a law which makes me a criminal, when I haven't done anything wrong.. well, we'll cross that bridge if and when we get there. But I guarantee if they persecute me unjustly, the outcome will be both highly interesting AND memorable.

 

[Tom488]

Sorry, Illinois, but New Jersey has ya beat:

Assembly bill A3676, sponsored by Assemblywoman Angelica M. Jimenez proposes BOTH a psychological evaluation AND an in-home inspection as a pre-requisite to purchasing a firearm.

And, along those same lines, we also have bill A3754, which authorizes the seizure of firearms from someone who a "mental health professional" determines poses a threat to himself or others. Under this bill, a MARRIAGE COUNSELOR is a "qualified mental health professional". Express anger at your spouse, lose your guns.

So - whaddaya say? Do we win?

 

[tactikel]

It's a classic "Catch-22" if you want a firearm you are deemed paranoid, self destructive, or aggressive and are denied. If you don't want a firearm, problem solved. :banghead: