December 1st, 2008
Jeff Soyer: Cops Fish Mental Health Records
In a good piece of investigative reporting, the Delaware News Journal has uncovered the fact that state police there routinely access databases intended only to be used at the time of a firearm purchase. Even for that, it’s being abused.
The story is here: Gun checks may violate federal law
When the firearms unit was created, the debate in the House was “strictly about purchases, not enforcement,” said House Minority Leader Richard C. Cathcart, R-Middletown. “It seems to me this violates — at a minimum — the intent of the legislation.”
Cathcart, who received an “A+” rating from the NRA before his recent re-election, said the supercheck process needs a quick statutorial fix.
“Obviously, there is a right to bear arms, but the way this is being applied, basically they’re saying it’s a privilege, and they have a right to take away that privilege from people,” Cathcart said. “I have a huge problem with this.”
You should read the whole thing.
Once that data is out there, it’s going to be looked at. Not always by the people or for the reasons intended. If this supercheck backdoor gets closed, you can bet that a future incident, maybe not even gun-related, will convince someone that a “lack of communication” led to tragedy, or that law enforcement’s lack of access hampered their ability to do their job. And the “back door” will possibly become law for the common good.



