Mental Health Information for Firearms Background Checks

In the wake of a fatal shooting at New Hampshire Hospital earlier this month, questions have been raised about how a person’s mental health affects their ability to purchase a gun, and the answers aren’t clear.

News 9 Investigates reached out to several state and federal agencies but has not received a clear answer about what, if any, mental health information is shared to databases that are used to determine whether someone can purchase a gun.

When someone wants to buy a firearm in New Hampshire, they need to fill out paperwork that includes answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to whether they have been committed to a mental institution.

It appears there is no legal mandate for New Hampshire to report that information to the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System.