Under both federal and Nebraska state law, in order for someone to be prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm because of mental health concerns there needs to be an actual adjudication, either from a judge or the state’s Board of Mental Health. That’s too restrictive for Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson, who says it’s time for lawmakers to lower the standard and make it much easier for his office to deny someone a permit-to-purchase a handgun.
Hanson points to two incidents in Douglas County in recent years involving individuals who had “documented” mental health issues but were still approved for a purchase permit; a mental health counselor who later took his own life, as well as a 25-year-old who’s accused of randomly shooting a 69-year-old woman on a walking trail in June of this year. The sheriff says those purchase permits should have been denied, but his hands were tied.
Hanson told KETV Investigates that in 2021, [Javaris] Henderson called law enforcement multiple times, saying he was either suicidal or had homicidal ideations. At one point, Hanson said Henderson threatened to blow up the FBI. He was placed in emergency protective custody…
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