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Mental Health Records-Gun Bill Dies In N.H. House

J. Stephen Conn via Flickr CC

The House has killed a bill that allowed people barred from buying guns for mental health reasons to prove to a judge they're capable of owning a firearm.

The House voted without debate Wednesday to kill the bill that supporters argued would let people with temporary illnesses clear their records. Opponents said New Hampshire isn't reporting their names to the federal list of people denied the right to buy guns during background checks and it could cut off legitimate access to the records in the future.

Federal law bars people who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility or declared mentally ill by a judge from buying guns from licensed dealers. New Hampshire is one of 17 states that does not report the names to the federal government.

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