Pittsburgh Cop Killer Feared Obama Gun Ban

[kat8585]

http://kdka.com/local/officers.shot.Stanton.2.975820.html

[Believer1997]

This is the case of an obviously mentally disturbed individual who had no business owning a gun. Period. He has taken the lives of three brave police officers because he was mentally ill and paranoid about something that isn't going to happen in the first place. Why is this garbage even on here? This is horrible - what laws were in place that would let someone who is this mentally ill have a weapon?? This isn't responsible gun ownership - this is just a insane person that should have never had a gun.

[Believer1997]

The Virginia Tech killer didn't tell them he was on drugs for psychosis or had been hospitalized..... It was a horrible tragedy. His actions should not affect people who are responsible gun owners... there must be a way to weed out the mentally ill from getting guns. I don't know what the answer is.

[Believer1997]

The Virginia Tech killer didn't tell them he was on drugs for psychosis or had been hospitalized..... It was a horrible tragedy. His actions should not affect people who are responsible gun owners... there must be a way to weed out the mentally ill from getting guns. I don't know what the answer is.

these days, doctors prescribe prozac at the drop of a hat. it's getting to where it's more normal to be on anti-depressants than it is not to be! and anti-psychotic drugs can be taken for other reasons than being psychotic! if you want to start weeding out people who own guns because of the the medication they are on, i think that's a dangerous road to go on. i don't know what the answer is, either. but medications a person has taken i know is not the answer. it would, however, be a good way for the government to begin disarmament of the American people!

This particular person had been hospitalized before for paranoid schizophrenia.... he was already on a plethora of meds and was reported to the Dean of Mental Health's clinic for observation. He should have NEVER been able to get a gun. I didn't say anything about weeding out people on medication... but there needs to be some weeding out of psychotic delusionals.... I don't know how to do that, but it doesn't make me sleep easy at night knowing that someone who is seriously mentally ill has loaded guns. What kind of research have they done yet on the guy in Pittsburgh that this thread is about?? Was he a mental case?? Obviously he was.

[forrestkc]

not all "mentally ill" people are crazed killers. there are people who have had the same diagnosis as the VT killer who have never killed a soul in their life--nor ever would. more homocides are committed in this country by people who have never been on meds and have never been diagnosed with a mental illness than there are those who have. if you want the government to step in and predict who will become a killer and who won't, and either grant or deny the right to arm themselves because of that prediction, i think you're asking for the disarmament of this country. given an inch, the government takes a mile.

you have more to fear from those who don't seek medical treatment (and so in your opinion may have easy access to guns) than you do the ones who do (whom you imply are not fit to protect themselves with firearms). there can be no weeding out, because there can be no predictions. if you want to take all the guns away from the "mentally ill" just in case... well, that's kind of a WWII Germany thing, ain't it?

The vast majority of drunk drivers don't run a family down and kill them, but because of the heightened danger to society a drunk driver poses, we have laws preventing people from doing so.

Its perfectly reasonable to have a legal means in place for an individuals mental health physician to have access to a process to remove that individuals ability to buy a firearm or ammunition.

[Blien]

Where did it say in the article that he was mentally ill??? Did I miss it somewhere?

[forrestkc]

Where did it say in the article that he was mentally ill??? Did I miss it somewhere?

From the article:

A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said.

Friends said 23 year-old Richard Poplawski feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.

Three officers were killed.

Do you not think he was mentally ill?

[Bubba4J]

Praying for the families

[Believer1997]

not all "mentally ill" people are crazed killers. there are people who have had the same diagnosis as the VT killer who have never killed a soul in their life--nor ever would. more homocides are committed in this country by people who have never been on meds and have never been diagnosed with a mental illness than there are those who have. if you want the government to step in and predict who will become a killer and who won't, and either grant or deny the right to arm themselves because of that prediction, i think you're asking for the disarmament of this country. given an inch, the government takes a mile.

you have more to fear from those who don't seek medical treatment (and so in your opinion may have easy access to guns) than you do the ones who do (whom you imply are not fit to protect themselves with firearms). there can be no weeding out, because there can be no predictions. if you want to take all the guns away from the "mentally ill" just in case... well, that's kind of a WWII Germany thing, ain't it?

Ya know... Charitow...when you're right you're right. Yep - Give Everybody a Gun. I don't care who they are or how competent or not.. Give 'em all a gun. Doesn't matter any more. By the way, I just sit and listen to a close friend who lost her only son at the VT massacre. Now, she has a little different outlook on who should have them or not - but, I think you're right. ANYBODY who wants one - should get it. It's our right!! Blessings to ya!! and Keep your powder dry!!!

[Leonard]

I was purchasing a .22 calibre rabbit gun in a shop a year or so ago, when a man came in, who I recognized. He had been a client in a facility I worked at. A facility for the chronically mentally ill.

On his meds, he was pretty normal and functional. But he was goofy enough to stop taking his meds periodically, and became pretty delusional after a while. He had never expressed a desire even when quite 'off the beam' to hurt people. He never mentioned having homocidal ideations, although he would hurt himself by smoking his cigarettes down to the nub, where they actually burnt his fingers, and left nasty, 3rd degree burns. With his meds however,he was, as I said, pretty normal. At the gun shop as he picked out a gun, he was nervous and odd, but not 'talking to invisible friends' or anything like that. He could, I suppose, have filled out the requisite forms, lied about his psychotropic meds and gotten a gun. But the clerk eventually just told him "I'm not comfortable selling you a gun right now. You seem agitated, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The man shrugged, said a couple of bad words, and left. The owner of the shop came over and congratulated the clerk! That's the only gun shop I'll go to now. In fact I have since bought my bird gun and a .22 target pistol there.

We must all be vigilant.