PA Mental Health Records Included in Gun Check Database

The State Police have complied with State Rep. Todd Stephens' request to have mental health records included in a national gun check database.

It took 18 months, but State Rep. Todd Stephens said the Pennsylvania State Police have begun sending the mental health records of people prohibited from buying firearms to a federal database. Stephens (R-151) of Horsham, has been working for a year and a half to prevent what he calls a “loophole” pertaining to the inclusion of mental health records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Without that inclusion, Stephens said anyone from Pennsylvania who has been involuntarily committed, or found to be mentally deficient - and thus ineligible to buy firearms - could travel to another state and buy a gun. Earlier this month, Stephens said he intended to introduce legislation that would require that the state's …

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Theresa

6:53 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013

So right! This is a very huge HIPPA violation and people should write their Senators, Congress etc. opposing the HIPPA violation. Yes, their should be a ban on assault weapons and stricter gun laws, though to very possibley violate innocent mental recipeints is an unfair price. To have already had state police have peoples's records with Todd Stevens blessings is an outcry. What other rights will…   more ›

Bill Would Make PA Gun Restrictions National

State Rep. Todd Stephens of Horsham plans to introduce legislation that would require the Pennsylvania State Police to upload information about people not legally permitted to buy guns in Pennsylvania into a national database.

As it stands now, anyone from Pennsylvania who has been involuntarily committed, or found to be mentally deficient - and thus ineligible to buy firearms - could travel to another state and buy a gun. State Rep. Todd Stephens (R-151) of Horsham is looking to prevent what he calls a “loophole” pertaining to the inclusion of mental health records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).  “What I’m proposing is already the law in 17 other states,” Stephens said. “I’ve been working on this initiative for a year and a half urging the state police to add this data to the national database.” Currently, the Pennsylvania State Police include mental health commitments in the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), according …

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James Kephart Jr.

10:54 am on Sunday, January 20, 2013

I bet the dead guy in Hiltown wished he had his gun on him and not locked up.   more ›

Hundreds Score Touchdown for Childhood Cancer

Football players and enthusiasts gathered in Horsham on Saturday to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Hundreds of football players and enthusiasts gathered at Dennis F. Landis Memorial Park in Horsham on Saturday afternoon with one goal in mind – to raise money and awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stand during the fourth annual Lemon Bowl. Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a foundation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer. "We started with one team and it worked out and has grown to this," Lemon Bowl co-founder Jackie Maleno said of the 22 teams and more than 200 players. The flag football tournament is estimated to raise between $7,000 and $10,000 today alone. Every year since the inception of the Lemon Bowl the participation has grown with teams coming from Bucks and Montgomery counties, as well as Philadelphia, Lancaster, …

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Crowds Seek Bargains, NASCAR Superstar

Hundreds waited in line for the grand opening of the brand-new Ollie's Bargain Outlet at the Village Mall in Horsham on Wednesday.

Kelly Fantacci drove for three hours, then waited seven hours more for a three-second meeting with NASCAR star Kevin Harvick. Fantacci, of Connecticut, departed her home at midnight Wednesday, arrived at the brand-new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Horsham at 3 a.m. and parked her chair in front of the store to wait for the ticket giveaway at 7:30 a.m. Then, she waited until just after 10 a.m. for a meeting of sorts with Harvick, in which she photographed him autographing her model car. Would she do it again?  “Absolutely,” Fantacci said. “We’ve met him twice before and both times were great.”  Fantacci was one of 250 early birds who arrived at the new 32,000-square-foot Village Mall store for its grand opening – and to meet the 18-time-winning…

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WWII Invades Graeme Park

Reenactors descend on the Horsham historical site Saturday to relive battles, showcase period vehicles.

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