State Sen. Daphne Campbell Files Bill to Add Mental Health Evaluation Criteria Requirement for Firearms License

Across the nation, mental illness and guns have collided with increasing frequency, laying waste to hundreds of lives and leaving grieving families to pick up the pieces.
Determined to put a dent in those numbers, State Senator Daphne Campbell (D-Miami) has filed SB 956, which would require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to add a mental health evaluation component to an application for a license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm.
“My bill will require a mental health evaluation to be conducted by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Too many times, we’ve seen the tragic consequences of the mentally unstable wielding a gun and the innocent victims who have paid the price for the madness. This is a basic measure to determine the mental stability of those seeking to carry a weapon,” said Senator Campbell.
Currently anyone can apply for a license to carry concealed weapons and their mental health is not a consideration. “This has to change. We must do more to protect our citizens and to prevent gun violence and the many tragedies we have seen repeated over and over. When the Federal government fails to pass legislation, then we must tackle this issue state-by-state,” said Senator Campbell.
A study conducted by the University of Nevada-Reno and Harvard School of Public Health found that the homicide rate in America is 25 times higher than in comparable nations. And the most common form of gun abuse is not from mass shootings, but from abusive domestic partners.  “The violence must end. Senseless deaths have to cease. Tragedies must be prevented. This bill will add a commonsense requirement to the issuing of firearm permits as a measure to protect the most vulnerable victims of gun violence,” said Senator Campbell.
Data on gun homicides and now fatal shootings are available to the public thanks to the Gun Violence Archive. You can find data on shootings that have occurred in your vicinity with your address by clicking here.