I could have word crafted my sentence differently but I stand on my statement.
"If you are unable to manage your financial affairs and a court of appropriate jurisdiction has determined you are incompetent to manage your financial affairs and has appointed a rep-payee, you are probably unable to safely manage a firearm. "
I have dealt with many DMH clients over the years and my personal experience is MA courts have set a very high bar before they will grant a request for rep-payee. Typical cases are elderly with dementia or young people who are very very psychotic. Elderly are more apt to be assigned a conservator, mentally disabled a guardian.
This has nothing to do with veterans. I know a lot of combat vets, all with PTSD. (Only one who was a frequent flyer at Coatesville and who is automatically a PP) I have never heard of any vet with PTSD denied due to PTSD. I am simply agreeing with existing federal law on PPs:
18 USC 922(d)(4) has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution at 16 years of age or older;
Mental defective could be defined as 'found by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease, is a danger to himself or herself or others or lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his or her own affairs.' If you are appointed a rep-payee (fiduciary) ergo, you are a PP. Interesting to note that psychotic individuals who have lost complete touch with reality are encouraged to sign voluntary pysch hospital admission forms and that is a voluntary admission, not a commitment. They can then sign a three day letter and the hospital must release them or go to court to hold them longer. A homicidal nutjob can suck it up and game the system for a long time before becoming a PP.