HIPPA Laws and a Database of Mentally Ill Folks

I’m trying to get my head around exactly how this endeavor would work, especially since existing HIPPA laws would make transmitting medical information to third parties problematic.  (I don’t know much about HIPPA, so maybe not…)

Nevertheless, reporting someone to a database for mental illness seems to open up some serious floodgates. What constitutes mental illness to such a degree that gun ownership would be prohibited? Depression? OCD? Right wing political views? Pro-life? Tax-hater? Sarah Palin fan?

I’m hoping these concerns aren’t restricted to the Right, I’d like to see some civil liberties groups weigh in on the issue. The federal government having a database of mentally ill people…what could go wrong?

This is not to say I think mentall ill people should be able to aquire firearms, I sure don’t, but I see quite a bit of potential for abuse.