[ExI] insanity plea

Kyle Webb hartreef at concentric.net
Wed Feb 27 00:34:05 UTC 2013


---- Anders Sandberg wrote:
>
> On 24/02/2013 20:08, spike wrote:
> > Ja agree sir, but you understate your case in an important way. Just 
> > the discussion of the possibility of restricting gun ownership to the 
> > mentally ill would compel the mentally ill to refuse to seek treatment 
> > for fear that they could lose the ability to purchase a firearm. 
> 
> OK, maybe I am terribly European here, but that argument sounds pretty 
> crazy to me. How many people regard their ability to buy guns more 
> important than seeking treatment if they can?

(Longtime lurker putting his 2 cents here.)

Actually, I know someone who did exactly that. He definitely needed help, but didn't go for it because he knew that here in Illinois, it would likely get his FOID (firearms owner's ID. required to own a firearm here in Illinois) suspended. Now, he ultimately was involuntarily given a psych evaluation, and denied (correctly, IMHO), but it definitely stopped him going to seek help for himself.

In the case of those who are mentally ill and guns, a case can be made on both sides. 

A siilar and IMHO more reasonable example of that kind of effect is of commercial pilots here in the US until recently. Quite a number were knowingly flying with depression problems, as they knew that seeking help, or getting a prescription for SSRIs would take them off of flight status (thus depriving them of livelihood, etc.)

Personally, I'd much rather have a pilot under professional treatment than one trying to tough it out from fear of an automatic disqualification.

Obviously, in both examples, a decision will have to be made, but I'd prefer a decision made by an independent professional, rather than an individual making it for themselves in a possibly disturbed state.

Kyle Webb




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