Martha Brock: Don’t discriminate against mentally ill

Regarding the June 21 news article “Senate rejects 4 proposals for gun control”: I supported Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s gun control measure. However, now I see the events and the four votes in the U.S. Senate as pure political posturing in an election year by members of both parties.

The writer of the June 21 letter “The real gun analogy” asserted that terrorists and “insane” people can get guns. Well, he may think so, but just try to get a gun permit in Raleigh if someone has a history of mental illness.

Sen. Charles Grassley’s proposal would have more fully funded the federal registry that is used to prohibit gun purchases by persons with mental illness. This registry includes many, in fact most, of those with diagnoses who have never committed a crime or been violent.

The percentage of gun violence committed by those with mental illness is under 3 percent of such crimes. But under current regulations, this group is singled out, and its Second Amendment rights are taken away by kangaroo courts.

To call current legal process “due process” is a joke. Congress should update its laws and provide true due process before taking away a large group of nonviolent persons’ rights.

This story was originally published July 2, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Martha Brock: Don’t discriminate against mentally ill."