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Transcript.
Angela Sorensen Thomas questions Sen. Deb Fischer vote to allow the severe mentally ill to buy guns. at Holdrege City Auditorium
Town Hall on March 16, 2017
Angela Sorensen Thomas: AST
Senator Deb Fischer DF
Photos by Eric Gregory Lincoln Journal Star
Angela Sorensen Thomas:
Recently you voted for house joint bill resolution 40. That allows people who are so mentally unstable they need a guardian or representative to manage their bank accounts to buy deadly weapons.
I have a brother-in-law who was one of the 75,000 people in this category. And it terrifies me thinking about him getting a gun. He lives here in Nebraska. Fortunately for us he’s in a protected setting and it wouldn’t affect him now.
But 10 years ago it would’ve been deadly for him. Not necessarily that he’s a threat to anyone in this room, but he is a threat to himself. Can you explain to me why it’s so important for people who cannot manage their own funds, because of severe mental illness, to be able to obtain deadly weapons?
(Applause)
Deb Fischer:
This was a resolution that I happen to agree with the ACLU and other groups on, that it should be reversed. And it’s because of the instances where a person on social security would ask or turn over the management of their finances, they would not be able then to able to obtain a gun.
AST: Only if they had been adjudicated as severely mentally ill. ONLY under those circumstances.
DF: So I just say to you that I agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union and others who felt that this regulation, that was put out, was a violation.
AST: I look at this thinking, there is a policy, there is a procedure for people who might have been on that list. 75,000 people who wouldn’t be able to get a gun! What about the young woman…
DF: It did not give them due process.
AST: in Missouri whose mother BEGGED, BEGGED the gun store not to sell her daughter a gun because she was so severely mentally ill? She went to the gun store. She bought the gun. She WENT home and shot her father.
Now we don’t have a way to stop these people. Adam Lanza was the same situation. But now we can’t.
They had gone through their due process and had been determined to be so mentally incompetent they can’t handle their own finances. But now [they] can just go out and buy a gun.
DF: Thank you.
What is this bill about? They can’t balance a checkbook, but they can by an Ak-47? Madness! Background on bill from my friend Cliff Schecter.
You see how they use the ACLU as cover? The following is the ACLU ranking of all 4 Nebraska reps who voted for the bill to let mentally ill to not be put in the NICS so they can pass a background check and legally buy guns.
NE U.S. Senate Sr Deb Fischer Republican 5%
NE U.S. Senate Jr Ben Sasse Republican 5%
NE U.S. House 1 Jeff Fortenberry Republican 5%
NE U.S. House 3 Adrian Smith Republican 5%
I also have video of Nebraska Senator Fortenberry trying to explain away his vote to allow the mentally ill to buy guns.
We sure to bookmark this for the first mentally ill person who kills someone because they could get a gun.
