Firearms safety and medical data
Regarding the Feb. 2 article about requiring a mental health check for a gun permit:

Can a police department get psychiatric records for someone applying for a gun permit? I thought you had to have a court order to obtain psychiatric records. What about potential violations of HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act)? Someone’s medical records will become public record for other officers, department employees, etc. to see and review, which should be a HIPAA violation!
I can’t see psychiatric patients applying for gun permits. Can you? Seems like if they decide to act on their intentions, proper paperwork would not concern them. I too, feel like something additional needs to be done, but I’m not sure such access to medical records is the answer.
In the end, I still believe it will be just as difficult to keep guns out of criminals’ hands as it will be to keep them out of the hands of the mentally ill. May God bless America.
— Gwen Johnson

Kannapolis

Presidential orders
Actions concerning the Second Amendment and state’s rights:
On Jan. 18, 2013, the Beaufort County commissioners called an emergency meeting. The concern was President Obama’s executive orders following the Sandy Hook tragedy.
The meeting included a discussion and plan of action. The plan of action turned out to be a nullification resolution, much like the one passed by several other states. The complete resolution can be found at www.beaufortobserver.net. This resolution has been sent to the N.C. General Assembly, the governor and each county commission in North Carolina.
Two of the most devastating executive orders came from FDR — confiscation of American citizens’ gold (think Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, 401ks and IRAs) — and the internment of Japanese-Americans. The executive orders allowed Congress to appear blameless.
Other constitutional violations can be found by researching items under “Obama’s violations of the Constitution.” Believe it or ignore it!
— Irene Dalton

Salisbury