WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-Rhode Island), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, on Friday, May 30, introduced legislation that would help keep guns away from dangerously mentally-ill individuals. Specifically, the End the Purchase of Firearms by Dangerous Individuals Act would ensure lifesaving information is submitted into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to keep firearms away from individuals with a mental illness who are a danger to themselves and others.
“Preventing gun violence should be an issue where Democrats and Republicans can find common ground and work toward practical solutions. Too many victims and their families have suffered from gun violence at the hands of dangerously mentally-ill people who were not prevented from purchasing a firearm. We cannot even begin to tackle the problem of gun violence in this country without addressing this particular issue,” said Cicilline, a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “This bill will equip mental health professionals with the tools they need to report dangerous individuals into NICS to help keep our communities safe and prevent senseless gun violence.”
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Under current law, an individual struggling with severe mental illness is only federally disqualified from purchasing a gun if that person has been involuntary institutionalized through a legal process or adjudicated as mentally ill. Oftentimes, this can mean an individual is not disqualified from purchasing a firearm on the federal level even if they have been temporarily held because they are dangerous or determined by a mental health professional to be likely to cause serious harm. Cicilline’s legislation would address this issue by:
- Expanding the disqualifying mental health criteria to prevent a person from purchasing a gun if a mental health professional determines that the individual is likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others;
- Encouraging states to establish systems for mental health professionals to voluntarily report patients meeting strict dangerousness standards into the FBI’s NICS system;
- Protecting patients’ privacy rights and allowing professionals to fully evaluate their own patient’s needs;
- Providing for a robust appeals process;
In the wake of shootings in Connecticut, Colorado and, most recently, California there has been a growing number of states have adopted new mental health professional reporting requirements for their firearm prohibition databases. In addition, according to a recent report from Everytown for Gun Safety, since 2011, state governments have tripled the number of mental health records submitted to NICS.
Cicilline worked with Rhode Island mental health professionals to develop this legislation over the course of the last year.
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Preceding provided by Rep. David Ciilline of Rhode Island