Overview
Please consider the following fictitious situation.
Recently, there have been several high-profile mass shootings across the United States. After the shootings, investigative researchers discovered that several of the shooters had a history of mental illness and several of the shooters were prescribed antidepressant medication in the past. In response to the high-profile shootings, several legislators in Congress have proposed the passage of a law that would require all buyers of firearms to disclose on their background checks whether they have "a history of mental illness" and whether the applicants have "been prescribed antidepressants within the past three years." If an applicant states that he or she has a "history of mental illness" or he or she has "prescribed antidepressants within the past three years," such answers would spark an additional investigation into the applicant's history that may result in barring the applicant from purchasing a firearm. Critics of the proposed law argue that the proposed law violates the United States Constitution, citing recent Supreme Court case law, and does not serve the purposes of homeland security law.
Resolved: To prevent mass shootings, Congress should require all gun buyers to disclose on their background check application whether they have "a history of mental illness" and whether the applicants have "been prescribed antidepressants with the past three years."