SD Doesn't Prevent Mentally Ill People From Buying Guns

According to a CBS News investigation, South Dakota is one of eight states that doesn't report mental health records to a national database to prevent mentally ill people from purchasing guns.

More states are submitting records in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting. But CBS News found that South Dakota along with Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Vermont are currently not reporting names.

A Massachusetts state lawmaker is working to get his state to report its names

“These are people who have been committed by a judge into a state mental health facility, because they are a danger to themselves or to other people in the community,” Massachusetts State Representative David Linsky said.

1.8 million people are banned from buying guns for mental health reasons. That number is expected to grow as more states comply with federal guidelines.

Pennsylvania's attorney general says states need clearer guidelines on who should be on the prohibited list because states have different definitions of mental illness.