Loophole In Federal Law Allows Mentally Ill To Buy Guns

Jennifer Pierce, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Mentally ill Oklahomans are buying guns and there is little gun shop owners can do to stop them.

The federal registry is part of the criminal background check buyers go through when purchasing a gun. There is a box on the form  to check that asks if the buyer is mentally ill, but gun sellers have no way to confirm whether a person is mentally ill or not.

Employees at H & H Gun Range in Oklahoma City said their hands are tied. They would like to follow the federal law, but Oklahoma has not provided names to the registry because of patient confidentiality.

"We are not medical doctors and we cannot make a determination just on a simple interview when someone comes in to purchase a firearm," said Trent Painter, H & H Gun Range employee.

Oklahoma isn't the only state to not provide names to the registry. Nearly half of all states have given the feds little or no mental health records.

Gun owners do not want mentally unstable people to have guns, but also don't want their medical records accessed.

"Our privacy is already getting invaded a lot already and would be awful having it invaded even more. But it's one of those balancing acts where there has to be some give and take," said Emily, who owns a gun.