According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the definition of mental illness is “a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.” In the United States, it is estimated that up to 26.2 % of people 18 years or older, suffer from some type of diagnosed mental illness/disorder. Recently, the National Rifle Association’s chief executive, Wayne LaPierre issued a public statement that there should be a registry of people suffering from mental illness, and people registered should not be permitted to purchase firearms. Thirty-eight states already require certain mental health records in order to purchase guns. The Gun Control Act of 1968 actually prohibits the sale of guns to people who have been involuntarily institutionalized. Though this law is set in motion, a public registry has not been put in place. If a public registry were to be created it would be an invasion of privacy to those on the list. My research will explore what constitutes a mental illness and what disorders are deemed threatening to society, as well as explore the damaging effects that a public mental health data basing would have on those afflicted with mental illness.
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