Keith7
04-27-2007, 12:58 PM
by Bryan Shettig
When Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people at Virginia Tech on April 17, he used a Glock 19 9mm semi-automatic pistol that he bought from a local pawn shop as his weapon of choice.
The gun was provided to him with no hassle because Virginia, like Texas, has differences between how the state and the federal government enforce gun laws. Cho's mental records were not provided to the dealer.
"Texas does not report mental health data to the federal database," said Zach Ragbourn, a spokesperson for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which was enacted by Congress in 1996, ensures privacy for all patients and protects medical records.
Ragbourn said gun shows in Texas are a loophole for gun buyers. According to the Brady Law, which was enacted in 1994, private sellers at gun shows are exempt from background checks.
"When it comes to background checks, the jury is back and we want more enforcement," Ragbourn said.
A pawn shop in Denton such as McBride Music and Pawn provides customers with a wide selection of firearms. Under the counter are a Glock 34 semi-automatic 9mm, a Smith & Wesson 39-2 semi-automatic 9mm and various 12 and 20-gauge shotguns.
"Shotgun-rifles are the most popular," said a shop attendant who asked not to be named. The attendant said that semi-automatic pistols are the most popular of their pistol sales.
"The police department gets a copy of everything bought and pawned," the attendant said.
George Woolard, an associate at Glen's Pawn Shop and Music at 1801 W. University Drive, said in Texas buyers have to be 18 years old to buy a rifle and 21 to buy a handgun, in addition to being a Texas resident and having a drivers license.
Anyone who buys a gun has to fill out a National Instant Background Check System form, Woolard said. According to the FBI Web site, the National Instant Background Check System is a system used for background checks that draws information from the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index and the NICS Index.
There are 11 questions on the form; the seventh question is the most controversial. Question 'f' asks, "Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective or have you ever been committed to a mental institution?"
"They could technically say 'no' to some of the answers," Woolard said. He said if anyone answers 'yes' to question 'f,' they forfeit their right to buy a gun.
Rachel Parsons, a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, said it is the position of the organization that mentally defective people should be barred from owning guns. Parsons said the NRA was one of the groups that helped to create the National Instant Background Check System. "We're not interested in folks' mental history being public knowledge," Parsons said.
Ragbourn cited California as a model state for health records being included in background checks. He said medical records are not provided to dealers but that past history can still deny potential gun buyers.
"This is not a medical issue, what happened with Cho," Ragbourn said. "It has nothing to do with what was said by a doctor in confidence, this is what a judge said."
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This stuff is scary
When Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people at Virginia Tech on April 17, he used a Glock 19 9mm semi-automatic pistol that he bought from a local pawn shop as his weapon of choice.
The gun was provided to him with no hassle because Virginia, like Texas, has differences between how the state and the federal government enforce gun laws. Cho's mental records were not provided to the dealer.
"Texas does not report mental health data to the federal database," said Zach Ragbourn, a spokesperson for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which was enacted by Congress in 1996, ensures privacy for all patients and protects medical records.
Ragbourn said gun shows in Texas are a loophole for gun buyers. According to the Brady Law, which was enacted in 1994, private sellers at gun shows are exempt from background checks.
"When it comes to background checks, the jury is back and we want more enforcement," Ragbourn said.
A pawn shop in Denton such as McBride Music and Pawn provides customers with a wide selection of firearms. Under the counter are a Glock 34 semi-automatic 9mm, a Smith & Wesson 39-2 semi-automatic 9mm and various 12 and 20-gauge shotguns.
"Shotgun-rifles are the most popular," said a shop attendant who asked not to be named. The attendant said that semi-automatic pistols are the most popular of their pistol sales.
"The police department gets a copy of everything bought and pawned," the attendant said.
George Woolard, an associate at Glen's Pawn Shop and Music at 1801 W. University Drive, said in Texas buyers have to be 18 years old to buy a rifle and 21 to buy a handgun, in addition to being a Texas resident and having a drivers license.
Anyone who buys a gun has to fill out a National Instant Background Check System form, Woolard said. According to the FBI Web site, the National Instant Background Check System is a system used for background checks that draws information from the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index and the NICS Index.
There are 11 questions on the form; the seventh question is the most controversial. Question 'f' asks, "Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective or have you ever been committed to a mental institution?"
"They could technically say 'no' to some of the answers," Woolard said. He said if anyone answers 'yes' to question 'f,' they forfeit their right to buy a gun.
Rachel Parsons, a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, said it is the position of the organization that mentally defective people should be barred from owning guns. Parsons said the NRA was one of the groups that helped to create the National Instant Background Check System. "We're not interested in folks' mental history being public knowledge," Parsons said.
Ragbourn cited California as a model state for health records being included in background checks. He said medical records are not provided to dealers but that past history can still deny potential gun buyers.
"This is not a medical issue, what happened with Cho," Ragbourn said. "It has nothing to do with what was said by a doctor in confidence, this is what a judge said."
---
This stuff is scary