It doesn't matter what the cops "know."
1. We have this idiotic process of sealing juvenile records. This kid could have stolen 100 cars, set a dozen houses on fire, and tortured animals every day of his life as a minor ... but a background check conducted on his 18th birthday would show that he's a law abiding citizen.
2. HIPAA confidentiality laws prevent the disclosure of mental health records to the police.
In other words ... The combination of #1 and #2 means that the background check process for a firearms permit won't even reveal anything about the people who should never own a firearm.
Cops knew he was a troubled soul. No good comes from arming the deranged like that. Time for some common sense.
It doesn’t matter what the cops “know.”
1. We have this idiotic process of sealing juvenile records. This kid could have stolen 100 cars, set a dozen houses on fire, and tortured animals every day of his life as a minor ... but a background check conducted on his 18th birthday would show that he’s a law abiding citizen.
2. HIPAA confidentiality laws prevent the disclosure of mental health records to the police.
In other words ... The combination of #1 and #2 means that the background check process for a firearms permit won’t even reveal anything about the people who should never own a firearm.
Excellent points all .... and they won’t prosecute them anyway for crimes, so what else does it matter what they do? they just offend, get loose, re-offend and keep doing it until this is what we get.
In Texas, youth felonies get sealed at age 19. The wayword yutes have to go a whole year as an adult staying on the straight and narrow for the yute felony to go bye bye.
Appreciate your reasoned response.
Sealing juvenile records is not automatic. Maybe it’s not a crime to scream at your mom in front of the cops.. but its a red flag. Should have been noted in the NICS, which already has a partial list of people mentally incompetent or domestically violent. Any cop who witnesses unstable behavior could document it with a body cam could send a report. How many times a day do cops think to themselves, “that guy should not own firearms.”
Laws need to change. If that includes HIPPA laws, so be it. If conservative judges strike down common sense laws, they can. Plenty of restrictions are in place to prevent certain people from owning guns. The restrictions need to expand.
Republicans need to stop trying to justify the silly notion that everyone, no matter how evil/stupid/deranged gets to own a gun capable of this level of carnage and worse. Maybe a start is mandatory training for those under a certain age.
That evil POS walked into a gun store and presumably bought body armor, multiple high cap magazines and a gun and shot up a school a few days later. Republican leaders calls for “love” isn’t going to cut it. Just stupid to allow a school age kid to buy or possess body armor.
These shootings are why a large percentage of the population will never vote Republican, no matter how bad the Democrats run things.
Its more than time for bi-partisan solutions. Maybe start with banning kids with a juvenile crime record, a history of school problems, substance abuse, mental retardation, disability due to mental health problems that could be considered unsafe.
These tragedies come around every few months. This one is worse than most— but the next one could be tomorrow and twice as bad. There is really no limit to the carnage one mentally disturbed person can do with modern “sport” rifles.
Yes, I’m a fiscal conservative from CA. But I want the GOP to grow— not be sucked into defending the “right” of every lunatic with a not fully-developed brain to buy weapons and shoot up schools. Republicans need to figure this out.