Another Spree Shooting Relating to Mental Illness

[RicInOR]

Arkansas -
"A gunman in Arkansas who killed three people ... , and wounded four others before taking his own life had been released [just days beforehand] from a mental health treatment hospital, police said on Sunday."
http://news.yahoo.com/gunman-kills-three-people-wounds-four-arkansas-shootings-043932589.html


Aren't those who were involuntarily committed to mental treatment, prohibited from possession of a firearm? Would that continue after release - until some court action to restore rights?



You know who else just got released from a mental hospital? John Hinckley, shooter of president Reagan, and Brady (of the Brady Bill)

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[Jim Colvill]

Another instance of a lack of total information. The article mentions the law regarding involuntary commission for mental treatment but does not say specifically that the shooter was remanded for treatment; He could've voluntarily admitted himself but that is neither confirmed or denied and is left for the reader to draw the inference. Poor reporting or biased writing? Again, left to draw your own conclusions.

 

[PiratePast40]

I think it's just too early for anyone to draw conclusions until there is more information. It doesn't appear to me to be any intent from the reporter other than to report the facts that were known at the time.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

It is a fair question to ask, what sane person would just set off and shoot, stab, or otherwise injure a bunch of innocent people outside of a war/combat zone?
IMO every mass killer I can think of has been crazy, it's an insane act.

 

[Dunke]

The Police or a physician can put a mental health patient 24/72hr hold to a hospital and they can be released afterwords without consequence. It takes a commitment order by a judge to hold a patient longer and a judge/court is the only legal way to have gun rights removed for mental health reasons.

Aren't those who were involuntarily committed to mental treatment, prohibited from possession of a firearm? Would that continue after release - until some court action to restore rights?

 

[ch139]

For "commitment" in Oregon it requires going before a judge; PSRB or civil-commit. If a person is sentenced under the PSRB they have already committed a crime and been convicted, so that'll be on their background. Even when a person's time is up under the PSRB they'll still have that pesky criminal record. There are a lot of folks in Oregon under the PSRB but only a handful of civil-commits.