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Bit of advice/Opinion required


JT1
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I have been asked a question from a friend and want to gauge advice.

 

A friend of mine has a neighbour who occasionally shoots and has a couple of shotguns only, he has been going through financial difficulties and has had some pretty low points. Recently he was put on anti depressants. Do you think he should be proactive and surrender his licence until things improve and he is clear of medication, thus showing the authorities he is being responsible or not.

 

I have my own views but would like to see what people think.

 

 

Thanks

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I was under the impression that if you had mental health issues, the type that needed drugs to treat, you could not have a SGC until you had been clear of them for 5 years. This is of course assuming you are applying.

 

So the same should apply if you already have a SGC and are subsequently put on said treatment. when you apply does your doctor not get asked if you are OK to have the cert. I would have though that this would have been noted on his file and when the doc prescribed the treatment he would have to notify the police aswell. Or it that me thinking about it too much.

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Simple fact is when he goes for his next renewal he / his doctor will be asked of any medical conditions including depression in last 5 years - answer yes and they will want to know why he didnt declare it before.

 

We all get depressed from time to time but when you start taking mood altering drugs to combat depression is having access to weapons REALLY a good idea?

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Leave them with your gun shop for a while .... and say you are going on an extended holiday.

 

To all the other writers, just suppose the bloke went really depressed and shot or shot at your kid, what would your opinion be then?

 

Hoping he gets better!

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To all the other writers, just suppose the bloke went really depressed and shot or shot at your kid, what would your opinion be then?

 

I'd like to know the odds. infinitesimal.

 

While you are there, suspend the depressed bloke from driving too. His car is also a lethal weapon.

Edited by BattleFieldRelics
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This is beyond debate on this forum, nobody here knows the details other than the flimsy opening post and few if any are qualified to make any medical judgment anyway!

 

We get drunk, we get ****** off, we get depressed, we break the speed limit, and we get ill, etc, etc, at what point does somebody stick their nose in and **** up someones life even more! :good::good:

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This is beyond debate on this forum, nobody here knows the details other than the flimsy opening post and few if any are qualified to make any medical judgment anyway!

 

We get drunk, we get ****** off, we get depressed, we break the speed limit, and we get ill, etc, etc, at what point does somebody stick their nose in and **** up someones life even more! :good::good:

 

The voice of reason. Very well put.

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If the guns are safe don't even bother notifying plod, you don't have to mention anything till renewal, However I'm assuming the reason he is thinking of surrender is because of suicidal thoughts etc as otherwise why would you volunteer them. I've two people I went to school with topped themselves with their own guns so have views on whether guns and depression go together. If he is that concerned the sooner they are out of his hands the better whether he retains his ticket is up to him and lets face it if its a short term issue then he may be well over it by renewal and able to declare it and have medical backup that he is over it

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My doctor summed it all up rather neatly once. She said that we can't all go through life grinning like baboons all our lives.

 

We all get unhappy about something at some time or another.

 

However, the tendency these days is that temporary bouts of unhappiness and feeling a bit low, tend to get instantly labelled as "depression" and the pills get wheeled out. :good:

 

I think it is important that we don't get unnecessarily labelled as "depressed" when in fact, we are just a bit ****** off :good:

 

Once you have been prescribed anti-depressants, you would technically need to confirm it on you licence application, which may cause problems.

 

If this person is genuinely depressed, I think it might be an idea to shift the guns. If he's just got the blues over some temporary issue, I wouldn't bother.

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Ok personal opinion:

 

i personally would put them in storage at an rfd and notify the police if i needed medicating, however this is a personal choice i would never tell or ask another person to do so (unless ofcourse they exibited behaviour that showed them to be dangerous which is another story entirely).

As i said its a personal choice and so are the conseqeunces if plod on renewal think he should have notified them he may well lose his certificate permenantly if you are asking as you are his friend i would advise him he might want to consider it because "you have heard the police can be a bit tetchy if you dont notify them if you go on medication" and that they might take his certificate away if he doesnt just as friendly advise like any good friend would give.

if you are not on this level (of friendship) id say you need to keep an eye on him certainly but ultimately leave him be to make his own mistake (ie not notifiying) or not as he so chooses its a difficult one but ultimate boils down to do you honestly believe he may be a danger to himself or others? (if you do you need to take action if your not sure i would leave abit of time and make up your mind from observation, he may get better or worse making your decision easier)

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It serves little purpose any of us speculating or advising as to what should be done.

 

With gun ownership comes responsibility to ourselves and our family, other gun owners and the community as a whole. It is the duty of the license holder to discuss frankly and honestly the matter with their GP and follow their advice.

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I had a friend who was suffering from depression due to wifey leaving him. he came to our shoot one sun am and sat on a log crying, I persuaded him to let me take his guns into my cabinet and sign them over as a loan.

I kept them for 2 months, he still came along and shot with me during this period, using his own guns.

1 night he rang me and said he was now feeling much improved having sorted out his finances with wifey.

and would feel better with his own guns back.

I returned them to him he seemed ok.

the following week he shot himself.

I dont know the answer to this.

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