People with a history of mental illness are ALREADY not allowed to buy guns without an exemption. The issue is that they lie on the form, and there is no easy way to catch them. The media makes a big deal out of the fact that they are allowed to make purchases, but the same groups that they call "heroic" and "for civil rights", etc. They don't seemingly don't care that 99% or more of violent gun crimes are perpetrated by unlawful or criminal owners. For instance, in Mass., I believe that out of the last 5 years or so, only a handful of the crimes were ever tied to lawful owners, and 3 of them were by police officers off duty (one officer was found guilty of holding up pharmacies twice, and the other was at a nightclub- found guilty of shooting someone in a racial dispute as retaliation for a gang-killing of one of his friends). All the others have been unlawfully owned.
Unfortunately, the ACLU and others do not allow the mental health records to be released to anyone, including the BFI, BATFE, and NICS.
One of the questions on the FFL (Federal Firearms License) holder's transfer form asks if you have been sent for or mandated to attend mental or substance abuse counseling.
It's a criminal offense to lie on this form, but....you know the deal. Laws aren't going stop the bad guys...just like restraining orders don't stop anyone....
(in MA, a RO is issued immediately if one of a couple files for divorce- regardless of amicability or fault or anything- and once a restraining order is issued, all firearms are supposed to be turned in to the police until the RO is rescinded or released. You don't have to turn in your car, your kitchen knives, baseball bats, crowbars, or any of thousands of other potential weapons found in any home- but you have to turn in the guns!)
One of the areas that I agree with the gun-control crowd on is that mental illness record should be released into the NICS system- therefore barring some from the purchases.
Unfortunately, since there is no easy way to appeal your name on a "barred" list like this, many of our national heroes would be unable to purchase or lawfully possess firearms- as many are remanded to get help for post-traumatic stress issues and such. Answering "YES" to that question doesn't necessarily bar you from making a purchase, but it certainly makes it far more difficult. There should be common sense laws, but this is Congress we're talking about....
I still maintain that lawyers should only be allowed in the Judicial branch- as "regular" folk to the Legislative, and Business folk to the Executive.
I don't want to get too political though- this is a POSITIVE forum....politics get too many people worked up- I just like being able to spread truth from the "other side" of the issues...