Involuntary mental health treatment; prohibition from purchasing, etc. firearms. (SB231)

Introduced By

Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-Mechanicsville)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Involuntary mental health treatment; purchase of firearms; reporting to Central Criminal Records Exchange. Clarifies that orders for both involuntary inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment must be forwarded by the clerk of court to the Central Criminal Records Exchange, and that persons ordered to either involuntary inpatient or outpatient treatment are prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. This bill codifies Executive Order 50 (2007). Read the Bill »

Status

01/28/2008: Merged into SB216

History

DateAction
01/07/2008Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/08 085907272
01/07/2008Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/21/2008Assigned Courts sub: Special on Proposed Mental Health Legislation
01/28/2008Impact statement from DPB (SB231)
01/28/2008Incorporated by Courts of Justice (SB216-Edwards) (14-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: HB535, SB216, HB741, HB1054 and HB1475.

Comments

VACPS, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

Cocifies EO50

Doug Goncz writes:

This bill includes people accidentally or improperly ordered to treatment, and those ordered to treatment by jealous, psychotic lovers with more money than sense in the long list of those who cannot handle weapons.

What of the woman I know who shall remain anonymous, who has been beaten by her husband, is in fear of her life, has beeen the subject of paid private investigations and telephone taps, and needs--legimately needs--a firearm to protect herself from her divorced and psychotic husband, who, characteristically of psychoses, projects his illness on her, and has had treatment ordered for her? She was released well before 48 hours because she was not a danger to anyone. This law could, no, probably would cost her her life.

Alison Hymes writes:

This bill, which I don't support, would not apply to the woman you are writing about. If she was released before 48 hours, she was only Temporarily Detained, not committed involuntarily to a facility nor outpatient committed.

There should be provision for people to have their names removed from the list of those who can not buy firearms as there are in the new federal law.