Posted by NikkiT on April 12, 2000, at 4:56:20
In reply to Guns and the mentally ill: disturbing article, posted by Abby on April 12, 2000, at 0:31:35
As a Brit I am always a bit shocked at the diea that everyone has the right to own a hand gun / shot gun!! I, and this is completely honestly, know NO ONE that owns, or has owned a gun (other than a kids air rifle).
I'm pretty scared about the whole idea personally (not least as I'm pretty sure if I'd had access to a gun I'd have used it on myself over the past months) but I know how, when I get so frustrated in my madness, It would sometimes be so damned easy to use it on others! (Like this morning, but thats a whole other story!!).
Not sure what I'm saying! I guess, just that coming from a country where guns aren't generally owned, it seems a wierd concept!
Nikki
ps - I'm not saying guns are good or bad per say... And I'm not strating a whole ethical debate... Just saying how wierd it is!! :o)
> This article in the NY Times really bothered me. I was struck by the fact that Utah has a law requiring certain schizophrenics to take medication, but it also has a law mandating that indigent patients be prescribed the least expensive anti-psychotics.
>
> Apparently, if you've ever been committed to a mental hospital, you are barred from buying a gun; it may be only handguns. I think that we can all agree that it's probably not a good idea for severely depressed people to be around guns because of the suicide risk. We've all been very worried about Harry for example.
>
> At the same time, suppose an 18 year-old has a first onset of manic-depressive illness and is committed because of a suicide attempt. She is evaluated and treated, both pharmacologically and psychotherapeutically, and does well for several years. When she's forty, she develops an interest in all things 18th century--clothing, furniture etc. and wants to buy an elegant dueling pistol for display. Why shouldn't she have the right to?
> Or is this a case of, once mentally ill always unreliable?
>
>
> Anyway, here's the article:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/041100rampage-killers.html
>
> Abby
poster:NikkiT
thread:29693
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29700.html