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I’m a firearms rights attorney. I help people keep and regain their Second Amendment rights. Even so, I see our nation at a crossroads. In times of tragedy, Americans often conclude that firearms possession must or may be made illegal.

A better approach? Address the connection between mental illness and firearms purchases.

Federal law, for example, forbids an individual from possessing a firearm if he or she has been involuntarily committed . That’s logical; those commitments result from the person’s then-existing propensity to harm themselves or others.

Still, that’s a poor law, because a single incident creates a lifetime firearms disability. But if a family member or law enforcement organization can have you committed, likely destroying your firearms rights for life, why not design a law requiring an assessment of current mental health prior to a purchase? We can add a reasonable waiting period, and allow unlimited opportunities for reassessment.

I suppose it has a chilling effect on the exercise of the right. So why not simply place the requirement on more destructive weapons, such as assault rifles? If you have more than $700 to spend on a rifle, along with the cost of high-priced projectiles, then you have a little more for a mental health examination.

George C. Miller Jr.

Greensburg

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