In an interview on MSNBC Wednesday morning, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.) discussed New York state's recently passed gun legislation and Hurricane Sandy relief which was passed by the House on Tuesday.
"I am convinced that New York has done the right thing for compassionate reason and once again should provide the leadership for state legislators throughout the country," Rangel said.
Health care providers and mental health officials have taken issue with provisions in the new state law, concerned about the potential deleterious effects on the health care system in the state:
The measure requires physicians, psychologists, nurses or clinical social workers to alert local health officials if a patient "is likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others." After an evaluation, the health officials would pass on the person's information to law-enforcement agencies that would be authorized to seize any firearm owned by the patient.
If a person is found not to own any firearms, the patient would be added to a statewide criminal background check database, marking a significant expansion of who would be made ineligible to legally buy a firearm.
"I understand the intent, but I fear these kinds of practices may well deter people from seeking care or fully disclosing" their condition to psychologists, said Harvey Rosenthal, executive director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.
He said the legislation seems designed to allay public fears of guns in the hands of the mentally ill with little thought given to "the chilling effects" it may have on treatment. Studies have shown that mentally ill people are far more likely to be the victims of violence rather than perpetrators.