In the growing debate surrounding the natural right to self-defense, one of the most popular proposed methods of gun control has been restrictions on gun-ownership for those who are deemed to be mentally ill. This is a measure that is often suggested by liberals and conservatives alike, but it is important to stop and consider what something like this might entail.
When any collective group is banned from owning a gun, they are effectively turned into second-class citizens. In the case of mental illness, that classification is so vague and open to interpretation that it could possibly be applied to over half of the population, depending on which criteria you use.
Mental illness can be very hard to identify since there is no kind of official test for most conditions, most people are diagnosed according to the subjective opinions of the doctors that observe them. Even the most severe conditions, like schizophrenia, can be very difficult to identify and is often misdiagnosed. Psychiatric drugs are another possible factor that could get someone marked by the government as mentally unstable, but a classification like this would allow for large portions of the US population to be disarmed.
According to a 2016 study by JAMA Internal Medicine, more than 1 in 6 Americans are on some type of psychiatric drug. This is not to mention the large number of people who report symptoms of depression or anxiety and don’t take medication.
A policy like this could also allow the government to disarm dissidents and political enemies. As psychiatry became more influential towards the middle of the 20th century, rulers around the world began using “mental illness” as an excuse to lock away anyone who might disagree with them.
The Soviet regime became notorious for this practice by labeling all political dissidents as “mentally ill” so they could be locked away in institutions where they were no threat to the establishment. The United States government also has a long history of slapping unruly citizens with the mark of mental illness. President Franklin Roosevelt famously called his detractors “the lunatic fringe,” and this type of attitude towards activists has carried on in the halls of government to this day.
In the dictionary of mental illnesses, known as DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association, there is actually a condition listed for people who have a problem with authority. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a name that psychiatrists made up to identify children who won’t do what they are told, and now even adults are being diagnosed with this condition as well.
Meanwhile, politicians and mainstream media are quick to label anyone who questions the official narrative as a “conspiracy theorist,” a term that has been falsely associated with mental illness in pop culture.
A study in 2017 set out to determine whether or not believing in conspiracy theories was a form of mental illness. As expected they found the exact answer that they were looking for, people who don’t trust the government and mainstream media are crazy, and suffering from something called illusory pattern perception.
There is another dilemma that arises in the discussion of disarming people who are accused of having a mental illness, and that is the fact mentally ill people are 10 times more likely to be victims of violence than the rest of society because they are often seen as easy targets.
Complicating matters further is the fact that these people can’t depend on the police to help them in these situations, as studies have shown that the mentally ill are 16 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than the average person. According to the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center, a minimum of 1 in 4 fatal police encounters ends the life of an individual with severe mental illness.
To prevent mentally ill people from owning firearms is a severe form of “ableist” discrimination, and also opens the door for nearly anyone to be classified as mentally ill. There are sometimes extreme cases where a person’s mental instability is creating a dangerous situation for the community, like the recent Parkland shooting, for example.
In this case, the shooter had a known history of violence, regularly made threats and was visited by police on numerous occasions because of his threatening behavior. In cases like this, it is reasonable to keep an eye on someone, restrict their access to firearms, or possibly quarantine them from society in the most extreme situations. There are many laws on the books currently would have allowed the FBI or local police to intervene in their initial encounters with the shooter, but they decided that a student known for violent outbursts and talking about carrying out school shootings was not worth looking into.
As TFTP reported earlier this month, there is a law on the books known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order or ERPO, which went into effect in June of 2017. This law is used when a person is considered an “extreme” threat as reported by police and family members. An ERPO must be approved by a judge and only after this person is proven to be a danger to themselves or others can police move in to confiscate their weapons.
These types of targeted approaches specifically aimed at individuals who are a known source of violence in the community would do far more to prevent tragedies from happening, than a wide-reaching law that could threaten the rights and safety of millions of innocent gun owners.
I wrote this story @ http://thefreethoughtproject.com/discriminating-against-the-mentally-ill-with-gun-control-laws-is-a-bad-idea/
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:
My name is John Vibes and I am an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. I write for numerous alternative media websites, including The Free Thought Project @tftproject and The Mind Unleashed. In addition to my first book, Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance, I have also co-authored three books with Derrick Broze @dbroze : The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality, Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion and Manifesto of the Free Humans
I just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through my experience, if you wish to contribute to my medical bills, consider subscribing to my podcast on Patreon.
If mentally ill is subjective, then they would be able to do that . It seems everything is subjective and fallacies run wild. See "Change my mind" videos on yewtube.
Did you hear that Deerfield, IL has passed an ordinance setting a date for turning in firearms? https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/04/05/illinois-town-bans-assault-weapons-fine-those-who-keep-them/488987002/
June 13th - turn in assault rifles. What about assault knives and hammer?
I had no clue the change my mind thing was a podcast, lol I thought it was just a meme..ill have to check that out
Yeah I did see TFTP did an article on that illinois thing earlier this week
I am thinking some sort of rally - get a crowd a presence.
Not possible but I would like to see lawmakers work for a month with no armed guards and announce it nations wide. if they are serious about removing guns, they should try not having anyone guarding them with a gun. Let them be worrying, "What if a a shooter comes in blazin?" Take that.
People do not understand that criminals don't follow laws. Gun laws, or any laws for that matter, will just make it harder for heroes to get guns and stop criminals.
That's correct, it's everyday people who are the real heroes.
Mental healthcare in this nation is virtually non-existent. Prisons and homeless shelters make up the asylums of the 21st century. In the article you mentioned the mentally ill are often in a high need of self protection due to them being perceived as easy targets. But as I understand it, a right doesn’t have anything to do with your mental state. Being a human gives us those rights.
The state of mental health care in this nation is sad, to say the least. It actually makes things worse for the people who need help most. Shakin' my head.
yeah I just meant that they are more likely to need to defend themselves, not that they have more of a right than anyone else, but I totally agree with your point
Yes! These types of laws could also lead to individuals not seeking mental health treatment, as they may fear their right to defend themselves will be restricted. People don't consider all of the consequences of such laws, and you are absolutely correct to suggest that the government could use these laws to restrict the rights of anyone it deems 'mentally ill'.
WOW! good point! i totally didnt even consider that but that is another bad "unintended consequence" of this
Nice. People can never know all of the consequences of any political action. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Thank you so much for this effort, I'm a mental illness patient, and i relate to your words, in fact, here in Tunisia we don't have the right to own guns if so, it would have been chaotic, I'm diagnosed with bipolar trouble type 2.and i can clearly say that many of my people are mentally ill, and way more severe than my case, a the matter effect. They don't know they are ill from the first place though their actions are very bizarre and unpredictable therefore dangerous, i might i have a cure and I'm recovering, but they?... Are forever ill, by the 21 century illness greed. Money and conquest
very interesting, nice to hear a perspective of someone from Tunisa
Thank you John😊😊
With the "spy industrial complex" in full focus on American Citizens missing all of these mass shooters, many folks should be calling for an end of the N.S.A.'s spying program as it has failed to stop these terrorist attacks\mass shootings. They say it's for our protection but, that is an obvious lie. So now they want more power even though they've proved that they can't make use of the "tools" they already have. Far too many of us are blind & won't see the con game that's being perpetrated on them & will go along with whatever the state says. However, if we keep getting this information out to the sleeping masses more & more will wake up to see the fraud that is "government". Eventually, there won't be enough people fooled by the lies & the state will not be able to sustain their scam anymore. Let's double down on spreading the TRUTH. We've got to shake'em to wake'em!
What they usually say instead is, ok, nsa's not efficient, clearly, so "let's give them more tools and power!" and then "let's change its name and give it more funding etc."...
Thought provoking article. Thank you.
Whereas, I don't want mentally ill people to own guns, I do agree with you in that we need to actually assess each person to a rigorous level. Unfortunately, "mental ilness" has such a stigma in the U.S. no one is willing to give it a proper discussion in any context, let alone gun violence.
good points :-)
I've too noticed the quick labels floating around. You're right.
Don't agree with the narrative? You fall into one of the below categories depending on the group you're dealing with:
All the .gov's of the world have to do is declare and outlaw (fill in the blank) and it will be done. Doesn't mean it's legal to do. But again, when you have that kind of money and or threats you can actually do a person's life --- most of the population will bend for the sake of being able to stay sheltered and fed.
Maybe we should start learning to live without money...
Now I'm going to have start brainstorming.
Gun Control = People Control....Always has and Always will
I've always said rights are but farts in the wind (sometimes more eloquently) if they can be taken away when authority snaps a finger. We are just kidding ourselves if we think giving the State an inch won't result in them declaring eminent domain on the rest,,,,
I regret to say that indeed if there are standard tools to diagnose mental imbalances, it does not even apply 1 but a conglomerate of tests. The anxiety in many opportunities is typical of the culture, even that does not mean that it has a panic disorder. Really the point or the criticism here is that there are many weapon bearers who have never been subjected to mental examinations and many times have psychotic or neurotic features, they have an outbreak and that is where the misfortunes are generated
Thought you'd appreciate this:
https://steemit.com/adamkokesh/@fundposhprincess/how-to-start-kokesh-s-domino-effect-of-localization
Very thought provoking John- and I love that pic- "Change my mind"- ha ha brilliant.
A wonderful antidote:
Introducing Andre "petition" Jacobs of the YT channel, Libertarian Revolution.
Meanwhile, the psychopathic & sociopathic politicians who run the gun-grabbing show remain undiagnosed. @steph-sailor