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Gun Background Checks Could Improve Soon

Gun Background Checks Could Improve Soon - Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 6:20PM EST

Thursday, Jan 3, 2008 @06:20pm EST

The senate approved the national instant check system improvement act on December 19th, and it's sitting on President Bush's desk, ready to be signed

It was written after a shooter killed 32 students at Virginia Tech last April.

Police say the shooter had a history of mental health problems, but was still able to legally buy a gun.

It could have happened here in this state, but that could soon change.

When mental health records deny a person from buying a gun here in Pennsylvania, they can go to any other state to purchase firearms.

That's because state police background check system doesn't share mental health records with the national background check system, or NICS.

The NICS improvement act will provide funding to upgrade the system, and share those records.

Last August, a gun shop owner told us how he felt about the upgrade.

"it helps us to have a better idea, a better feeling about selling a gun to someone because we know he's good because they said he's good."

That same month, the i-team also asked the Luzerne county mental health office how it felt.

Workers there didn't have an opinion on the improvement act, but told us adapting new standards wouldn't be difficult.

Richard Burns of Luzerne county mental health said, "if the criteria for report ability would be broadened then obviously our duty would be broadened but i don't imagine that would be a tremendous burden for us."

A local psychiatrist agreed last August, but said mental health records shouldn't be wide open.

Dr. Jyoti Shah told us, "the confidentiality and the patients rights and the accessibility of the records is something that is very, very, very critical for mental health practices"

But the bill will only ask for mental health records that disqualify a person from buying guns.

A move lawmakers say, could prevent scenes like this at Virginia Tech.
 


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