Mental Health Check for Gun Ownership is the Right Solution

In the aftermath of the school shootings in Parkland, Florida, the defender of gun manufacturers (i.e., the NRA and the Republican Party) have made their usual remarks about now not being the time to discuss gun laws (even Secretary of State Rex Tillerson parroted this line during a press conference in Lebanon).  And, they have brought up the increasingly discussed issue that persons with mental health issues should not have access to guns.  For the NRA and Republicans, the reference to mental health issues is a way for them to deflect any discussion about gun laws directly.  They typically discuss how everyone should inform the authorities when they see social media or other signs of mental instability or a propensity toward gun violence.  That's certainly a good idea, but that doesn't stop a person with mental issues from getting a gun.  And, it does not touch how to deal with a person whose mental illness has developed after he has legally purchased a gun.  But, since the Republicans and the NRA are using mental illness as their main talking point now, those who actually want to do something about limiting such persons from possessing guns should take the issue and run with it. That is, federal legislation should be proposed that required mental illness evaluations for anyone seeking to purchase a gun, ammunition or accessories (in any venue, whether privately, at a gun show or in a store), the gun should then be registered and a mental illness re-evaluation should be required every 5 years in order to allow that person to continue to own and possess such items.  Of course, a process and a system would be required to implement these rules (authorized psychiatrists would need to be qualified, the mental illness evaluation would need to be incorporated into the background check system, etc.).  Of course, mental illness checks would delay the purchase of a gun, but almost no one needs to purchase a gun immediately - to say otherwise is disingenuous and really just an attempt to limit regulation.  The NRA and the Republicans will come up with all kinds of arguments of why such mental illness evaluations would be a violation of the 2nd Amendment, etc., but if supporters of decreased gun violence are looking for an opening for some Republicans and their supporters find a justification for how they can help reduce gun violence, legislation proposing mental illness evaluations made be an opportunity.