"States flouting mental health gun law; More than half fail to file background checks, review says" by Greg Bluestein, Associated Press / February 18, 2011
ATLANTA — More than half the states are not complying with a law enacted after the Virginia Tech shootings that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with the national background-check system to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.
The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states, including Massachusetts, have not supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the United States could be running names of would-be buyers against a woefully incomplete list.
Is it any wonder I get tired of the self righteous s***hole of a state?
Officials blame privacy laws, antiquated record-keeping, and a severe lack of funding for the gap, according to public records requests....
Congress has doled out only a fraction of the $1.3 billion it promised between 2009 to 2013 to help states and courts cover the costs of the 2008 law.
Apparently it is not a concern.
For some states, the amount of federal grant money they could be penalized for not complying is less than what it would cost them to get their records-sharing systems up to speed.
Translation: It's not worth it.
The Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six people and left Representative Gabrielle Giffords grievously wounded has put more emphasis on the struggle to disarm the mentally ill, even though the man arrested in the attack would not have been on the no-purchase list....
Oh, now it's a concern. A Jewish congresswoman gets gunned down by some psychotic, lovestruck kid and now the lack of state compliance is an issue.
Makes you wonder who is really crazy 'round here.
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Related: Calif. highlights states’ struggles to keep guns away from unstable
Also see: Suspect dead, officer hurt in road rage case
Calif. couple pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of girl
Related: Creepy California
I'm getting out of there as fast as I can now:
"Bridge cyclists warned on speed
SAN FRANCISCO — Plans to put the brakes on bicyclists riding across the Golden Gate Bridge have led to protests. The initial plan announced last week would hit riders with a $100 fine if they don’t slow to 10 miles per hour along most of the 4,200-foot span. There is no speed limit now. The bridge’s board of directors put off a vote on the limits to allow public debate (AP)."
Related: Bikes and Burritos in Boston
Globe Editorial At his own peril, burrito maker takes on the Big Enchilada
Also see:
Houston twins accused of letting mother die
Man confessed killing children, police say
Three hurt after child brings gun to school
Man charged in disabled son’s drowning
Deputy, suspect die in Texas shooting
Alert lifted after power loss at Texas plants
Ohio man pleads guilty to attempt to force girlfriend’s abortion at gunpoint
Ohio killer’s execution is second with single drug
Stuck in a window, Ohio woman dies
"He’s no general, say US authorities
AKRON — Federal authorities allege that a West Virginia man who applied for a job with an Ohio construction firm pretended to be an Army major general and listed the Army chief of staff as a reference. A criminal complaint filed in federal court accuses Randall Keyser of Barboursville, W.Va., of wire fraud. An FBI agent alleges in an affidavit that Keyser, who was arrested Thursday, said he had supervised construction projects and answered directly to the US secretary of defense (AP)."
