A database of people living in New York who are thought to be too unstable mentally to carry firearms currently contains the names of about 34,500 people.
The number of people on the database, which was previously undisclosed, has some advocates for mental health voicing their concerns that there are too many individuals who have been classified as a danger to themselves or others.
The database was created after the mass shooting incident in 2012 at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. It is managed by the New York state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
The database was put into effect by the Safe Act, which is a comprehensive package of gun regulations that was put forward by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The law bans assault weapons and requires licensed professionals working in New York's mental health sector to report to authorities patients that could be dangerous. The reported people are banned from owning firearms for five years.
However, the number of names listed on the database shows the challenges that the government is facing in dealing with mental health patients as it looks for the balance between the right to bear arms and public safety.
"That seems extraordinarily high to me," Sam Tsemberis said. He is currently the CEO of Pathways to Housing, which is a provider of housing to people that have mental health issues.
"Assumed dangerous is a far cry from actual dangerousness," Tsemberis added.
Laws similar to the Safe Act in other states have drawn the criticism of proponents of gun rights, as the law could infringe the rights of people that were listed on the database but are of no threat to public safety. According to advocates of mental health, the laws can also unnecessarily have a negative effect on mental illness patients.
The people listed in the New York database, and the circumstances that led to having them ending up on the list, are kept private, which makes it difficult to determine if every single person on the list is really dangerous. The New York Times obtained the number of people on the database through a request under the Freedom of Information Law.
Responding to the report, Gov. Cuomo said during a campaign rally in Bronx that, in fact, the number is actually a conservative figure.
"I've heard concerns that the number is too low, because obviously there are about 110,000 people who are institutionalized, but yet could still get a gun," he said.
