Washington State Considers Strip Gun Rights After Involuntary Detainment
By Tom Knighton
Most states have some version of a law that allows the authorities to detain you for up to 72 hours due to mental health reasons. It’s not really a case of being “adjudicated as mentally defective.” It’s a temporary hold designed to keep people from hurting themselves or others.
Yes, the law has all kinds of problems.
Now, Washington state is considering a bill that would have even more issues.
The issues of behavioral health and gun rights collided Wednesday as the Washington state House of Representatives debated and ultimately approved a bill that backers say will help prevent suicides.
The bill imposes a six-month suspension on a person’s right to possess a firearm when that individual is detained under the state Involuntary Treatment Act for up to 72 hours for evaluation and treatment of a mental health or substance abuse disorder, even if he or she is no not subsequently committed.
“We know after these 72-hour holds that the risk of suicide is extraordinarily high,” said Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma. “We also know that a little bit over 50 percent of suicides in Washington state are committed by the use of a firearm. So trying to restrict the use and access …Read the Rest
Source:: Bearing Arms
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