guest-commentary.png

William A. Levinson: Anti-gun zealots undermine their cause when caught in lies

What’s Up, NEPA?/Good Eats!

<p>I&#8217;m a firearms rights attorney. I help people keep and regain their Second Amendment rights. Even so, I see our nation at a crossroads. In times of tragedy, Americans often conclude that firearms possession must or may be made illegal.</p><p>A better approach? Address the connection between mental illness and firearms purchases.</p><p>Federal law, for example, forbids an individual from possessing a firearm if he or she has been involuntarily committed . That&#8217;s logical; those commitments result from the person&#8217;s then-existing propensity to harm themselves or others.</p><p>Still, that&#8217;s a poor law, because a single incident creates a lifetime firearms disability. But if a family member or law enforcement organization can have you committed, likely destroying your firearms rights for life, why not design a law requiring an assessment of current mental health prior to a purchase? We can add a reasonable waiting period, and allow unlimited opportunities for reassessment.</p><p>I suppose it has a chilling effect on the exercise of the right. So why not simply place the requirement on more destructive weapons, such as assault rifles? If you have more than $700 to spend on a rifle, along with the cost of high-priced projectiles, then you have a little more for a mental health examination.</p><p><strong>George C. Miller Jr.</strong></p><p>Greensburg</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Guns-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Guns-1.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Letter to the Editor: Require mental health exam for buyers of certain guns