Local police forces will not have to join a bureaucratic paper chase. The Staggers proposal is more honest with the American people because the record checks will be with existing records and not of some mythical records that many people are assuming exist. For example. the Brady bill would require a check to see if the potential purchaser is an illegal alien. I know of no State in our Nation that is keeping such a record. There is the civil liberties issues as well. The Brady proposal suggests that in the 7day period a check will be done to see if a potential purchaser is either a dishonorably discharged veteran. an illegal alien. a felon. or mentally defective. The proposal. therefore. encourage States--and the Federal Governmentto begin keeping records on the mentally ill. Certainly. we should keep records of felons. I question whether States need to keep lists of dishonorably discharged individuals where the discharge is unrelated to a crime against another person or our Nation. And. I still wonder how we will get a list of illegal aliens. I find offensive the term "mentally defective." This is a 19th century term for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped. Those of us who are waging the fight to protect the rights of the mentally ill in this country. to educate our society about mental illness. should never accept this retreat back to this archaic attitude.
Keywords matched
illegal alien illegal aliens