VCDL will STRONGLY OPPOSE ***any*** bill that takes away gun rights from someone who is involuntarily committed to OUTPATIENT treatment. If a person is a real danger to themselves or others it is absolutely ludicrous and a dereliction of duty for the courts to assign them to outpatient treatment! Would mass-murderer Charles Manson have been
assigned outpatient treatment? Of course not! He was a true danger
to society and was segregated from society as he should be.

If a person has been assigned outpatient treatment, our view is that
he cannot be considered a legitimate danger to himself or others,
unless government has screwed up again, like they did with Cho.

Here's how it really works: If a judge thinks a person is not a
danger, but wants to force him to get some treatment, the judge will
rule the person is a "danger" so that the judge can legally commit the
person to get outpatient treatment. Thus, games are being play with
the term "dangerous" solely to get a legal ability to force someone to
get treatment.

You should not lose your rights if you are not adjudicated to be truly
dangerous to yourself or others.

Here are the bills that came in today. Out of 18 bills we oppose all
but one, and that one we are neutral on.


HB 657, Delegate Griffith, makes a person who is found incompetent to
stand trial unable to possess a firearm. We would support this bill,
BUT it also says a person who is "involuntarily committed to an
outpatient facility" is also banned from possessing a gun. That makes
it a non-starter. VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

HB 709, Delegate Janis, bans someone who has been involuntarily
committed to inpatient or **outpatient** mental health facilities to
be banned from getting a gun. Again, we could support this bill but
for the outpatient wording. VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

HB 741, Delegate Caputo, bans someone who has been involuntarily
committed to inpatient or **outpatient** mental health facilities to
be banned from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a gun FOREVER.
VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

HB 815, Delegate Albo, makes a person who has been temporarily
detained, but subsequently agrees to voluntarily admit themselves for
mental help to be denied their gun rights. Who would want to
voluntarily seek help if they have their rights taken away from
them? VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

HB 835, Delegate Moran, takes away the right to have a gun for anyone
held to be incompetent to stand trial. VCDL could support this bill,
but it slips in wording about "involuntary treatment" (outpatient)
being a disqualifier for gun ownership. A non-starter. VCDL STRONGLY
OPPOSES this bill.

SB 226, Senator McDougle, bans someone who has been involuntarily
committed to inpatient or **outpatient** mental health facilities to
be banned from getting a gun. Again, we could support this bill but
for the outpatient wording. VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

SB 231, Senator McDougle, bans someone who has been involuntarily
committed to inpatient or **outpatient** mental health facilities to
be banned from purchasing, transporting, or possessing a gun FOREVER.
VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES this bill.

As always, if a person has counsel from the start, unfair results are much less likely. These hearings may seem harmless and even friendly, so people don't get lawyers, thinking it'll be over more quickly if they don't.
They're wrong.

Back to the Cuckoo's Nest days......