Despite a correlation between gun homicide and suicide and mentally ill owners, a study released by Ball State shows some do not think firearms should be prohibited for them.
About one-fourth of the nation’s psychiatric residency directors believe firearms should not be prohibited for mentally ill people, according to the study.
Community health education professor Jagdish Khubchandani co-wrote the study titled “Psychiatric Residency Directors’ Perceptions of Firearm Access by the Mentally Ill in the United States.”
“I am surprised that one-fourth of the mental health directors and professionals would say that guns should not be banned from mentally ill people,” Khubchandani said.
The report surveyed 72 directors from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, who are located across the country.
The study also said 70 percent of the directors believed there should be more resources for the care and treatment of mentally ill people and feel it would be more effective in decreasing gun violence.
Khubchandani said 66 percent of mentally ill people in this country will never receive proper treatment.
Since he is a health professor, he said the fact that only a third of mentally ill people will get treatment alarms him.
According to the article on the Ball State website, most of the directors perceived people with chronic dementia and with antisocial personality disorders should not have access to firearms.
Khubchandani said he feels doctors should have more power.
“These are the people who can decide health and safety, what’s good and what’s bad,” he said.
Rick Mayo, a leadership member of Students for Concealed Carry, a new organization on campus this semester, believes responsible adults should be allowed to lawfully protect themselves. He said he believes more resources ought to be available to people who it need or want it.
“Restricting access to firearms wouldn't be easy to do and there will always be other ways of obtaining guns,” Mayo said.
