Joseph Puryear III
Miss Pippins
English 3 Honors
22 January 2013
Mental Screening Should Be Required To Purchase a Gun The eyes of millions of men and women across the United States of America were opened recently. On December 14, 2012, a massacre occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School leading to twenty children dead and six adults. Soon after, the shooter took his own life as well. The event brought communities around the country to come together against the current gun laws. This led many to rethink gun control laws and legislation. I believe the United States should increase its gun control laws by adding a mental screening requirement to make a user eligible to purchase a gun. The first reason a mental screening test should be performed before giving a gun to someone is because law enforcement members must do the same. In the Police Personnel, it states,” [All police] applicants are to be examined by a licensed physician to determine that the applicant meets the standards set forth in Rule 3.” It clearly states that all law enforcement applicants must undergo a physic test. This test ensures that only psychologically suitable people may carry a weapon. It also identifies who is unsuitable to carry a weapon. This ensures that there are no trigger happy members within law enforcement that will misuse their power and bring great harm to those they protect. Dr. Gary Fischler, a well-recognized psychologist, said, “Persons that are below the regulations required to