West Virginia Code 61-7A-4 – Confidentiality; limits on use of registry information
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the Superintendent of the State Police, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, the circuit clerks, and the Administrator of the Supreme Court of Appeals may provide notice to the central state mental health registry and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System established pursuant to Section 103(d) of the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, 18 U. S. C. §922, that a person: (i) Has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution ; (ii) has been adjudicated as a mental defective ; or (iii) has regained the ability to possess a firearm by order of a circuit court in a proceeding under section five of this article.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 61-7A-4
- Committed to a mental institution: means to have been involuntarily committed for treatment pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-seven of this code. See West Virginia Code 61-7A-2
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) The information contained in the central state mental health registry is to be used solely for the purpose of records checks related to firearms purchases and for eligibility for a state license or permit to possess or carry a concealed firearm.
(c) Whenever a person's name and other identifying information has been added to the central state mental health registry, a review of the state concealed handgun registry shall be undertaken and if such review reveals that the person possesses a current concealed handgun license, the sheriff of the county issuing the concealed handgun license shall be informed of the person's change in status.