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Legislature Targets Mental Illness In New Gun Bill

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — The Florida Legislature is trying to clean up the mess left by Congress with a bill seeking to keep guns away from people with mental illnesses.

The bill cleared its final Senate committee Monday and will now move to the Senate floor.

The proposal's supporters include gun-rights advocates. The bill (SB 1000) was approved by the Senate Rules Committee on Monday.

The bill is aimed at closing a loophole to guard against gun purchases by people with mental illness. It deals with people who voluntarily admit themselves for treatment, then check out. At that point, they are able to obtain weapons.

Under the bill, people could be blocked from purchasing firearms if a doctor said they posed a danger to themselves or others. If the patient didn't agree to be voluntarily admitted for treatment, an involuntary commitment petition would be filed.

A companion bill won House passage last week.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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