Without commenting or prejudicing any coroner's outcomes or inquiries into what happened in the Lixnaw shooting tragedy,or belittling what happened. But could we please can these suggestions, which are starting to get media attention,[Irish Indo and RTE 61 news today] again, about demanding a medical for firearms applicants.
As
1] We already have given permission for AGS to request such info anytime we reapply.
2] No doctors want the responsibility of signing off on this, as they are not qualified to judge a person's mental health.You need a head shrinker, and they need four to five sessions to start getting an idea of what screws might be loose or too tight.
3] People can lie about their condition to their doctor or anyone else. You are not under oath in a doctor's surgery.
4] Alienate even further gun owners who might have depression or other mental problems, as they will be terrified of losing their licenses because they went to the doctors for some genuine help and have to declare such on the next application, which might be refused.
5]Unweildly, how will this work with multiple license holders that come up on certain dates?
6] They don't work! If they did, Raul Moate, Derreck Bird, the Plymouth shooting,and in Germany Erfurt, Wenindigen, and Hanau shooters would have been picked up by the German medical and psychological tests for new applicants.
7]They probably ADD to the chance of mass shootings. 95% of US mass shooters were on, or off depending their prescribed meds!!! It seems that Lithimun based medications prescribed by the medical professionals for "depression" is a major contributor to shootings over there.
Just strange that this is now getting airtime when a review of legislation is in the air?
As we have to put bin the full link, but the pertinent bit concerning us is here;
Ms Houlihan continued: “I’m asking the Irish government to review the gun licensing laws and put a simple step in place that when the licences are coming for renewal, that the gun holder has a medical.”
"...trained individuals who are talking to people who are holding gun licences and understanding what’s going on in their lives so that they understand that there are things here that may impact on their behaviour.”
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/relative-of-lixnaw-shooting-victims-i-dont-want-another-family-to-go-through-what-weve-been-through-41665584.html