Jindal: No guns for mentally ill

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BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Louisiana should report people unable to buy guns because of mental illness to federal authorities, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday.

Jindal, a Republican who described himself as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, said he is proposing legislation that would allow Louisiana to share its findings on competence to own guns with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database, the Shreveport Times reported. Gun retailers are required to check with NICS.

"Too often, both in Louisiana and in states across the nation, the mentally ill are slipping through the cracks and getting lost in the system," Jindal said in a news release. "In order to protect these individuals and the communities they reside in, it is imperative that we take proactive steps to prevent them from harming either themselves or others."

Jindal said the state will not share actual medical records, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported. He said individuals will be removed from the list if they are found competent to own firearms.