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 08.20.10
FUNDING ARRIVES FOR "MENTAL HEALTH" LEGISLATION |
As
you know, in the 2009 legislative session, OFF supporters fought
hard to defeat the passage of HB
2853.
This bill forced Oregon into compliance with a Federal law that
was pushed by a coalition of the National Rifle Association
and the Brady Campaign to ban firearms. (HR
2640)
The purpose of the Federal Legislation was to centralize mental
health records so they could be used to deny firearms purchases.
At the time, the excuse used by both the NRA and Brady Campaign
to ram this through was the Virginia Tech shooting. However,
had this law been in effect at the time of that massacre, it
would have had no effect whatsoever.
Although we were able to force the Oregon legislature to amend
the bill 10 times, in the end it did pass. However, its implementation
was dependent on sufficient funding which until now, did not
exist.
Yesterday we received this letter
stating that the funding was now available. Neither the folks
at the Psychiatric Security Review Board, nor the Oregon
State Police have been able to tell us how much of the funding
came from the state and how much came from the Feds, (both of
which, of course, are flush with cash.)
Update. Since this alert was first issued, we have received
the following details about funding from the Oregon State Police:
"I don't want to over complicate the answer to your
question, but it's first important to note that HB 2853 was
primarily focused on mental health related record information
and the creation of Oregon's relief program. Our federal grant
(NICS Act Record Improvement Program, referred to as "NARIP")
applies to all aspects of NIAA compliance. I'll try to break
it down accordingly.
Our 2009 NARIP grant award was in the amount of $770,849. Out
of the full award, $543,663 went to State Police for record
reconciliation work; $117,424 went to the Oregon Judicial Department
for record reconciliation work; and, $109,762 went to the Psychiatric
Security Review Board (PSRB) for record reconciliation work
($32,677) and their newly established Gun Relief Program ($77,085).
On the state funding side of your question, during the February
special session, the Oregon Legislature added $227,377 in General
Fund to the PSRB's budget for the current biennium. The funds
were provided specifically to implement the relief program requirements
of HB 2853."
Background checks all to often lead to improper delays and denials.
But in recent years, the State Police have improved their response
to persons who have been denied because of erroneous criminal
information. In most cases, these errors can be resolved with
a phone call.
This law would require persons who have been denied for "psychiatric"
reasons to appear before the "Psychiatric Review Board"
to try to get their rights restored. At no time during the lengthy
hearings on this bill, or now, has anyone explained how the
"Psychiatric Review Board" plans to address the dilemma
of false information being included in their database, or how
a person whose information was incorrect and had moved out of
Oregon could address this problem.
Another victory for the National Rifle Association.
For the second part of Oregon Politico's report on firearms,
click here. |
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