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Mental health and firearms: what is our trajectory in the United States?

Abstract

Possession of firearms by individuals suffering from psychiatric illness continues to prove a challenge to public health in the United States. Despite efforts like New York State's SAFE Act of 2013 to address this crisis, shootings have only increased over the past decade. This Viewpoint proposes three novel methods for addressing this issue: gun prescriptions, a national ‘Do Not Shoot’ registry, and a hotline for confiscating illicit patient firearms, and assesses their constitutionality and potential policy benefits.

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Appel, J.M. Mental health and firearms: what is our trajectory in the United States?. J Public Health Pol 43, 18–26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00323-9

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