Mental Health and Guns

The recent massacre at Virginia Tech has brought forth many issues about school violence, mental health and the ability of universities and society at large to protect the public. The above link is to the NYT OpEd questioning whether someone with a history of mental illness, specifically, Mr. Cho, should have been able to purchase handguns.

Let's not make this an issue of mental health.

A single diagnosis or hospitalization should not permit someone from owning a gun if they so desire.

But wait before you group with the NRA and the all the wacky 2nd ammendment advocates. I believe in gun control, but actions, not disease should be the barrier by which we bar some from owning guns and allow others.

I grew up with guns. My father had and has enough weapons to arm a small Caribbean nation. But I grew up with a respect for guns. I learned about the importance of keeping them locked up and away from children. I learned a healthy respect for the damage they could cause.

My dad works in a gun shop now. He's a retired marketting executive and I like to joke that now he's an arms dealer. Not exactly true. My father doesn't believe in gun control by the government ~ he's got a lifetime membership to the NRA. But does he individually practice gun control? You bet your ass he does!!

The store where he works has developed its own reputation. They are loved by the law enforcement entities for whom they procure body armour and other police supplies (strictly controled items, by the way). But they also have a bit of a reputation for being snobby about their patrons. My father has, on more than one occasion, thrown someone out of the shop for goofing off with firearms. The man who pointed the rifle at his female companion was asked to never come back. The people who attempt to go around the Brady laws by having a family member purchase the gun and fill out the paperwork are banned. My dad knows all the state police operators by name from running background checks and anyone who lies on their paperwork can expect a visit from the state police.

But let's get back to Mr. Cho. Should he have been allowed to purchase hand guns in Virginia when he had a court record of involuntary committment to a psychiatric facility? I'm not sure the answer is no.

Let me offer this up instead. Mr. Cho should have been barred from buying hand guns because of his history of stalking. I know, I know, no one pressed charges. But why is it that we can't file for protective orders on behalf of someone else.

Trust me on this one. College students, especially girls, do not want to cause trouble. My first college roommate was a sociopath who decided shortly into the second semester that her life would be much better if I was just dead and she was perfectly willing, according to her own actions and statements, to be the one to make that happen. What did I do? I provided copies of the written material to residential life on campus and asked to move to a different room. Did I get an order of protection? Did I even file charges through the university? No. I just wanted to get out of the situation intact. I wanted it to be over. I could have gotten her expelled. I could have prevented her from ever becoming a physician. I didn't. Do I regret it? Sometimes. A lot. Would it have made my life a lot easier if the university moved forward with their evidence and acted with or without my cooperation? Definitely. I really wish they had. I have a recurring nightmare that I will someday find myself in an Emergency Room with a seriously injured child (Kramer vs. Kramer style) and find myself face to face with this woman. And I know I could have prevented that.

How does this relate to Virginia Tech? If the university had pursued legal action against Mr. Cho for his stalking instead of mental illness, he would never have passed the firearm background check. Any restraining order automatically prevents an individual from being able to purchase a firearm, even in the very lax states like Virginia.

I'm not blaming the two young women who felt threatened by Mr. Cho back in 2005. I would be a hypocrite if I did and I know too well where their refusal to press charges came from ~ it's all about self preservation. They're just kids. But the rules don't protect them or any women on college campuses as much as they need to. Campus police and administrations need to be more proactive. And that's just a general statement, not a condemnation of anyone at VT.