Utah Cop Believes That All Gun Owner Should Pass Psych Test to Own Weapons – My Rebuttal
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| Gun(s) Used: | Unknown | Location: | |
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A Utah cop, who goes by Officer Anonymous, wrote an editorial for KSL.com in which he gives several long winded reasons why all gun owners should have to pass a psychological test before being permitted to purchase a weapon.
Let’s look at a few of these:
“…why are you in a hurry to buy a gun? Last-second Christmas gift? Forgot an anniversary and the wife really needs that pink Walther P22?”
Maybe your home was burglarized last night. Maybe your violent ex was just released from prison. Maybe gang activity has suddenly moved to your neighborhood. Maybe you’re a competition shooter and your primary gun broke right before a competition and you need to purchase a replacement. Maybe you need one for a last minute hunting trip.
“We gun owners seem to be so afraid that at any moment the government can swoop in and take all our guns that we squash any ideas involving regulating the sale, manufacture and enforcement of guns. We see no problem in tracking purchases of cough medicine and other ingredients in meth labs, but don’t you dare monitor how many guns I own.”
Um, many people don’t think the government should be spending taxpayer money, violating privacy and stifling business because a product might be used for something nefarious.
“Well, if every gun is registered, we will know where they got it. I have been looking back through a few of the recent shootings, and most of the suspects appeared to have obtained and possessed the guns lawfully.”
How were you able to find that information without a formal, national gun registry? Oh, because the current paper trail is already good enough for tracking guns used in crimes without overly invading privacy.
“I would like to see who can offer me the best explanation on why we shouldn’t require a psychological and registering your gun purchase.”
Well, I feel like I’ve already given some good ones above, but here are a few more:
- Cost – last time I checked psychologists don’t work for free. Who is going to cover the costs of these tests? Can a person use an psychologist they wish? Does the psychologist have to meet minimum certain training requirements in order to be able to approve a person for gun ownership? Who is going to handle that oversight, and pay for it? Taxpayers? Good luck.
- It’s a violation of the Second Amendment. I don’t see anything in the COTUS that says anything along the lines of “Must not be infringed (after passing a psych exam).” Legally you would have to change the CONUS in order to be able to accomplish this, otherwise it would certainly be ruled unconstitutional in court.
- Should we place tests and restrictions on the other rights and freedoms guaranteed by the CONUS? Maybe a grammar and literacy test to exercise the First Amendment. Maybe a test on current events to vote. Maybe a test on Unites States law before you’re allowed a fair and swift trial.
- What happens when someone who was disarmed by this new requirement (due to cost or other reasons) is killed by a criminal who doesn’t care about the new requirement? We’re talking about someone who would normally be carrying a gun for self defense, but chose not to because they felt they couldn’t follow the law to a tee. If it saves just one law abiding citizen, should we NOT have a psych test for gun ownership?
Read the full article here:
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=22185955&nid=148&s_cid=rss-extlink...
It is none of ” Officer Anonymous’s” or anyone else’s businesswhy I want to purchase a fire arm.
If psych tests were required, 1/2 of the cops would be off the force because they couldn’t pass the tests.
Several police departments have used psych tests to screen applicants in the past, and as a result, several good candidates were not hired, and several individuals of marginal stability were taken into the fold. I’ve worked with a few of these marginal individuals. Part of the reason I didn’t stick around for the pension. Such as it was.
Ok, so does this Officer then believe it would fine for a person to have a firearm if they are on prescribed psych active medication???
My questions are these: When are we going to test all the cops for drug/steroid use? When are the psych standards for law enforcement going to be tightened?
Yes, there are some good cops out there who honestly want to make a difference in their community. But we have too many who are on a power trip and who are fueled by steroids.
Right now, this old man is just as nervous about law enforcement as he is about the criminals who are not in uniforms.
Officer anonymous sounds like another moron that swears to uphold all the laws,except the ones he does’t like, I bet he voted for obama!by the way its people like him that drive me crazy!!
I would think giving the cops tests of this nature would serve the public better. I’m talking about Psych tests, not the usual tests measuring how fast they can eat donuts.
You don’t trust the givernment so you’re paranoid, Flunk! But, wait! Tht’s the very reason for the 2nd Amendment…
Oh, you’re Muslim… Oh you’re Christian… Oh you believe in things that can’t be seen… Flunk!
I firmly believe that a psych test can be tailored to exclude the givers of the test and fail everyone else.
I’ll go further most pysch get into psych related employment to treat themselves. So, wouldn’t that be the fox guarding th hen house and a wolf in sheep’ clothing?
“…..most psych get into psych related employment to treat themselves. ”
Here, here, Mike Sr. – a very good point, who says the Psychologist is mentally stable, they were examined by other Psychologists prior to getting their Doctorate degree. It’s the ‘crazies’ saying the other ‘crazies’ are okay! They definitely should be giving exams for hopeful gun owners! LMAO!
Officer Anonymous? Maybe Officer Moonbeam, because he sure sounds like some California lawmakers.
We are know darn well that there is no shrink who is going to approve anyone owning a gun. After all, they all attend liberal Ivy League schools and what shrink is going to think it’s ok for anyone to own a gun? Even on the off chance you can find a shrink who thinks it’s OK for us little people to own guns, who gets to decide what shrink is used? What criteria would be used to determine a person isn’t qualified mentally to own a gun?
My point exactly… as soon as I read “Officer Anonymous”, I dismissed the ranting and ravings of a nutcase of a Utah cop. If he doesn’t have the guts to use his real name, then he is the same as the Occupy Wall Street Anonymous ilk.
WHEN I was single ,there was an opurtinity to date a woman ,She was a police officer ,I had to decline ,Because police officers are a really Stressed out group of people ,Now don’t get me wrong ,Irespect everyone ,But I could nt motivate myself enough to date this lady ,Ijust couldn’t see myself in that realm ,Ihave never been arrested ,in jail or have a criminal record ,there was something about that issue that made me decline .I do believe that we should able toown what ever is leagle ,I donot want Guns to not be lagel ,police officers are really stressed ,I would personally help an officer in need in anyway that I could ,if possible .We need our police depts and officers ,without them times might be a lots more difficult in America !!I don’t want anyone making a decission about my rights to own a Gun or what ever ,I can mke that decission for myself .
Yes, blame the law abiding gun owner but do not one damn thing about the criminal element. Just another bias assed ignorant liberal who has not come to grip with it is not the gun that kills, it is only a tool, the person using the weapon to unlawfully kill another human being or beings is the problem. In China with a four times murder rate than the United States, where all firearms are outlawed except in the hands of the government, the tools used to kill are poison, axe and knifes. People kill people – go after the criminal and leave law abiding citizens alone. And then dumb assed cop ask yourself why is it everyone has to be punished for the wrongs doings of a few…?
Right on RP!! I think your estimate might be a bit low though? A lot of cops are some of the biggest losers going,we had a couple on my force who were either eventually fired or even worse allowed to retire who were bonafide nut jobs with very violent histories!!! Add to this the fact that cops are not legally tasked to protect us you will see why lots of people own guns! Last but not least who says Psychs can be trusted anyway!!!
I don’t know where this cop lives but I’m in the central florida area known as ORLANDO> Get a clue and read the news for the last month alone and look how many law abiding people comitted a crime with a firearm, then just look at the ratio compared to the criminals. Oh yea ck out Occoie too. Then start testing everyone in any form of governmet job the same way they did our national athletes. in London. Yea then if theres a problem you can’t get a cab permit also. Come on lets just keep adding on every thing we can on joe the pubic till we wreck our whole damn system of government. Then we may be able to start over. GOD help us not the whitehoust.
Just as firebugs join the fire department so do criminals too afraid of jail join the police department. It sounds like “Officer Sociopath “is one of those who likes to selectively enforce the law, and maybe crack a few skulls along the way!
Well most of reasons have already been mentioned by Patriot Outdoor News and others, so I can ONLY concur with all the reasons mentioned. But, by and far the most ‘important’ reason is simply the Constitution of The United States ‘does not require it’!
Not to be disrespectful as I was a Military Law Enforcement Officer for years, my father was an Auxiliary Police Officer when I was young, my one older brother was a Police Officer for 28+ years, etc., etc. ~~ but on a number of Police forces in areas where I grew up and lived as an adult up until recently when I moved out here to New Mexico, there were more officers that were 1) mentally unstable, 2)discharged from military for mental health issues, 3)wife & child beaters, 4)pyromaniacs, 5)rapists, 6)bank robbers, 7)liars and cheats, SHOULD I go on AND none of them were subjected to a Psychologist prior to getting on the forces they served with prior to be punished and sent of to jails and prisons throughout New England.
75% of all police officers would fail this test..
I have long held the opinion that police officers should go through a psych exam each year due to the type of personalities that gravitate to these jobs…
We have the bullies that attempt to dominate every situation…
We have officers that make up laws to fit their opinions to fit any situation…
We have officers that do not know how to say; NO I won’t enforce that low because it is unconstitutional…
There are more handgun deaths by police that the general public…
Here in Mississippi I watched police officers from several jurisdictions come here after Hurricane Katrina and confiscate legal guns from law abiding citizens just because some over zealous chief of police told them so… These cops knew this was a violation of the law but they went ahead anyway… N
Now, Who should be examined???????