# Legality of a mentally disabled person owning a firearm

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-a-mentally-disabled-person-owning-a-firearm/938206>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 18, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-a-mentally-disabled-person-owning-a-firearm/938206 "2021-03-18T23:57:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-a-mentally-disabled-person-owning-a-firearm/938206/1 "2021-03-18T23:57:18Z")

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The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act states that it is legal for a person to own a firearm who has been as long as they–these are the exact words—“have not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution”.

Does that mean that is illegal for someone who determined to be disabled by Social Security because of mental illness to own a firearm? Does that qualify as being “adjudicated as a mental defective”?

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**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-a-mentally-disabled-person-owning-a-firearm/938206/2 "2021-03-19T00:28:08Z")

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> **[Social Security Recipients Barred from Owning Guns?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/social-security-recipients-barred-from-owning-guns/)**
>
> A new Social Security Administration rule would extend gun background check reporting to some Social Security recipients.