Katko: The Severely Mentally Ill Should Be Able to Purchase Guns

Under current regulations, when an individual below the retirement age is receiving Social Security disability benefits because of a mental illness, and they are so severely mentally ill that they are deemed incapable of managing their own payments, the Social Security Administration sends their names to the FBI for inclusion in the federal database for firearms background checks.

We're not talking about people who have had bouts with depression, or who were on an anti-anxiety medication for a period of time. We are talking about individuals who are severely and permanently mentally ill. People who are not able to function in a normal work environment and hold a job. People who are not even capable of handling their own money.

Not surprisingly, Republicans in Congress don't like this regulation, and they voted along party lines yesterday to scrap it. 

John Katko, representing our 24th district in New York State, apparently doesn't see a problem with allowing severely mentally ill people to purchase firearms, and voted with the majority of the other Republicans to get rid of the current regulation.

Maybe he feels beholden to the NRA for the thousands and thousands of dollars it stuffed into his campaign coffers. If only Katko could show that kind of concern for the people he represents.

Indivisible: NY 24th Congressional District

Hello!

My name is Adrienne, and I live in New York's 24th congressional district, where we are currently represented in Congress by Republican John Katko.   

Recently a group of former congressional staffers got together and created a document titled Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. If you are someone who is concerned about what the Trump presidency will mean for the future of our country then I highly recommend you download this guide a take a look.

After reading the Indivisible Guide, I googled in hopes of finding an established activist group in NY-24 opposed to the Trump Agenda, but I came up empty.

So I felt compelled to create this blog as a means to reach out to other NY-24 residents who feel the same way I do; that we must stand up and speak out against Trump's divisive agenda and fight for a free America. I want this blog to be a place where we can keep up with current happenings in government, stay informed about how John Katko is representing us in DC, and discuss methods of ensuring that John Katko is aware of the opinions of his constituents.

I hope anyone who finds this blog feels free to introduce themselves in the comments, or to send me an email at IndivisibleNY24 at gmail dot com.