vito
Member
We all agree, and probably this is almost universal, that seriously mentally ill people should not be permitted to purchase a firearm. How to define mentally ill is the big problem. Most mental illness symptoms are exaggerations of normal behavior, and in some case inappropriate behavior. It's easy to identify the extremes, but there is an awful lot of middle ground where the label of mentally ill may or may not truly apply. And then there are those who think that anyone who thinks differently than themselves must be mentally ill. What prompted me to write this thread was talking with a physician who stated that "no rational person should feel the NEED to own a gun", adding that in his opinion, "most gun owners appear to be irrational in their fears" and that in his opinion, "owning several guns, or keeping an arsenal of guns and ammunition is clearly a sign of serious mental illness". I told this individual that his ignorance was appalling and that maybe his statements were an indication of mental illness. Needless to say he now considers me another gun "nut". He asked me if I voted for Obama (I'm serious) and when I answered that normally I would respond that how I voted is none of his or anyone's business besides my own, but in this case I would state that I absolutely would never vote for Obama, considering him probably the worst president in American history. He then said "now I know you are really disturbed and should get help". This is why I fear a move to broadly define mental illness that would ensnare many of us for nothing more than owning guns and believing in the 2nd Amendment.