HONOLULU â€" President Obama on Friday announced two new executive actions that will help further his gun control agenda. The actions will make it easier for states to provide information about mentally ill individuals to the federal background check system.
The Department of Justice is proposing to clarify that the term “committed to a mental institution†includes involuntary inpatient as well as outpatient commitments. The clarification would help states determine what information should be made accessible to the federal background check system.
The Department of Health and Human Services relaxed some privacy protections in order to help identify in the background check system those individuals who, under federal law, should be prohibited from owning a gun for mental health reasons. The department proposed a rule to give certain entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act permission to submit to the background check system the “limited†information required to prevent mentally ill people from obtaining firearms.
“Too many Americans have been severely injured or lost their lives as a result of gun violence,†the White House said in an email statement. “While the vast majority of Americans who experience a mental illness are not violent, in some cases when persons with a mental illness do not receive the treatment they need, the result can be tragedies such as homicide or suicide.â€
The White House added, “The federal background check system is the most effective way to assure that such individuals are not able to purchase a firearm from a licensed gun dealer.â€
This is not the first time the president has used his executive powers to try to strengthen the nation’s gun laws.
