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What Are Florida's Laws Surrounding Mental Health And Gun Access?

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A semi-automatic AR-15 is shown at Good Guys Guns & Range on Feb. 15, 2018 in Orem, Utah. An AR-15-style rifle was used in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. (George Frey/Getty Images)
A semi-automatic AR-15 is shown at Good Guys Guns & Range on Feb. 15, 2018 in Orem, Utah. An AR-15-style rifle was used in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Federal law prohibits those who have been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital from having access to guns — their name is put on a national list that is used in background checks. But states determine the criteria for what gets someone involuntarily committed and thus on the list.

Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Steven Leifman, a judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, who says it's very hard to get on that list. Leifman also advises the Florida Supreme Court on criminal justice and mental health.

This segment aired on February 16, 2018.

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