Keep guns out of the wrong hands
Indianapolis Star: Keep guns out of the wrong hands
The response I submitted to the Star editors:
The thought of law enforcement of any kind being able to determine who is and who is not legally sane enough to own or posess firearms scares me much more than the potential of a Kenneth Anderson type rampage.
If we weigh how often this type of rampage actually occurs against the potential for abuse, the cost in liberty of giving anyone but the courts the ability to determine mental stability is far too high.
Recent history in Indiana has seen police chiefs block the issue of state carry permits based solely on the chief’s own prejudice against armed civilians. How long before this mental suitablity issue is likewise abused by politically motivated police chiefs? Why even lead them into such a temptation?
There is a legal process to have a person declared mentally unfit, baring them from owning firearms under existing Federal law. If revisions in the law are needed then this process is where the review should start.