Essay: Recommending Firearm Purchase Bans for Mental Health

This essay critically analyzes the recommendation for banning firearm purchases for individuals with mental health conditions, highlighting the disproportionately high rates of firearm-related suicides and homicides in the United States. It emphasizes the need for prioritizing restrictions on firearm access for those with mental disorders and proposes a two-pronged approach: awareness programs and legislative reform. The awareness programs would educate both individuals with mental disorders and healthcare professionals about firearm laws and the potential consequences, while legislative reform would focus on amending the National Firearms Act to include stricter eligibility criteria for firearm purchases, specifically addressing mental health concerns. The essay concludes that a combination of increased awareness among firearm vendors and legislative changes can effectively reduce firearm-related incidents among individuals with mental disorders. Desklib offers a platform to explore similar essays and study resources.

Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
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CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
Recommendation for Banning of Firearm Purchases for Mental Health Patients
It has been seen that in United States suicide from firearms is 8 times higher and
homicide by firearms is 25 times higher from other developed countries (Rozel & Mulvey,
2017). Hence, it can be marked as one of the most critical condition for the social and
psychological perspective of the country people. On this context it has been seen that 4 per cent
of the criminal violence through the firearms are responsible for the mental disorder (Metzl &
MacLeish, 2015). Thus, it can be stated that the need of the restriction of the firearm purchase by
the people with mental disorder should be prioritized. On this context recommended most
effective process will be as follows:
Awareness program: The people with mental disorder should be provided with the awareness
and the education regarding the firearm laws and the effects. The factor of the awareness should
be provided to the health care professionals as well for the betterment of the care process of the
people with mental disorder. The awareness program should be provided by the health educators
as this is an aspect which affects the lifestyle of the person. The use of the firearms and the
purchase should be considering the knowledge and the legislative factors as well. Hence, it can
be stated that the process of the awareness should be considering the mental health of the people.
Thus, the depression or the social factors impacting over the need or will of the person to
purchase and carry the firearm should be assessed first. In order to develop proper awareness
program the educators should survey and interview the people with negative thought process and
the most affecting factors in the development of will of the people regarding the firearm
purchase (Solis, Benedek & Anacker, 2016). Moreover, based on the result of the survey and the
interview the educators should educate the people with mental illness about the reduction of the

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
use of the use of firearm purchase and subsequently banning the purchase of the firearms by the
mentally distressed people.
Legislative reform: National Firearms Act 1938 of USA federal government is focusing on the
process of the taxation of the firearm development and the transferring of the product (Atf.gov,
2020). Moreover, the act also focused on the owner safety regarding the parts of the firearms and
the usage. However, it should also focus on the change in the eligibility of purchasing the
firearms. On this context it can be stated that the process of the legislative reform should be
focusing on the banning of the purchase of firearms by the mentally distressed people. It should
also be focused that the people involved in the firearms business should be aware about the
context of the harm and the risk of the firearm purchase of the people with mental disorder.
Hence, it can be concluded that the banning of the firearm purchase by the people with
mental disorder should be implemented by the reformation of the law of firearm purchase and
use in the country. Moreover, the education development of the people involved with the firearm
processing and purchasing as well. The situation of the firearm distresses among the people with
mental disorder can be effectively changed if the legislative reform is considered with utmost
priority and the awareness of the firearm vendors can be developed as well. These above
mentioned processes can be effective in the process of the reduction of firearm distress among
the people with mental disorder in an effective way. On this context it can also be stated that the
self awareness of the firearm vendors also would be the most important factor as well.

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
References
Atf.gov. (2020). National Firearms Act | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Retrieved 4 January 2020, from https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/national-
firearms-act
Metzl, J. M., & MacLeish, K. T. (2015). Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of
American firearms. American journal of public health, 105(2), 240-249.
Rozel, J. S., & Mulvey, E. P. (2017). The Link Between Mental Illness and Firearm Violence:
Implications for Social Policy and Clinical Practice. Annual Review of Clinical
Psychology, 13(1), 445–469.
Solis, O. L., Benedek, E. P., & Anacker, L. (2016). MENTAL ILLNESS AND VIOLENCE: A
REVIEW OF GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION, PSYCHIATRIC LITERATURE, AND
THE REALITY OF PSYCHIATRIC PRACTICE.