Mental health should be deciding factor in discussion

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Gun control seems to be a hot topic in California these days.

In light of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the legislature has been franticly working to push for stricter gun laws.

The nation has been split between those who approve of the proposal and those who don’t. It’s not about assault rifles and magazine capacities; thebigger issue is the need for a stronger mental health and background check system.

According to President Barack Obama, 40 percent of gun purchases are conducted without background checks.

If this is true, a psychopath can buy enough guns and ammo to start WWIII and nobody would know.

Often mental health data and felony convictions are not reported.

According to news reports, in Minnesota a 14-year-old boy killed his mother with a shotgun and was later able to legally purchase other firearms.

This happened because there is a loophole for violent felons and people found mentally ill in the criminal background-check system.

In most states, a person’s juvenile record is considered “sealed” when the person turns 18.

If that person gets a background check, those prior convictions will not show up, therefore making it legal to purchase a firearm without any red flags.

Whether you agree or disagree with the president’s proposal, we can all agree that something must be done to reduce the massive slaughter of innocent people.

All of the mass shootings that have taken place were, undoubtedly, a tragedy, but we shouldn’t make rash decisions out of paranoia.

Some people aren’t clear on what the Obama administration is trying to do.

The president is not trying to violate the Second Amendment, which allows people to bear arms, but have a combination of rules that would help curb gun violence.

We should face the reality that exists which is that the previous ban on assault rifles has done little to curb gun violence.

People are still going to be able to obtain them even if it is illegal.

We can at least get into a would-be-buyer’s mental history and see if he is mentally stable enough to own a gun in the first place.

This may allow law enforcement to be proactive and stop things before they start.

Let’s not demonize the responsible people who use guns for hunting, sport and protection for the actions of a few miserable maniacs who need a hug.