Navy Officer Claims He Was Unable to Obtain Gun Permit After Seeing a Therapist

(AP) — A U.S. Navy officer stationed in Hawaiʻi says in a lawsuit that he can’t get a gun permit because he saw a therapist one time for feeling depressed and homesick. Michael Santucci’s lawsuit is the latest challenge to Hawaiʻi’s gun ownership restrictions. His lawsuit focuses on a state law that allows access to an applicant’s medical records in determining whether someone should be allowed to own a gun, which his lawyers say is unique to Hawaiʻi. Santucci wasn’t diagnosed with any behavioral, emotional or mental disorder. His lawyers say it’s unconstitutional to require a medical evaluation to exercise a fundamental right when there’s no evidence of mental illness. The state attorney general’s office declines to comment.
 
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