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.
No comments:
Post a Comment