Aaron Carter refuses to give up his 500 guns despite mental health issues

The post Aaron Carter refuses to give up his 500 guns despite mental health issues appeared first on Consequence of Sound.

Despite battling multiple mental health disorders, including schizophrenia and acute anxiety, Aaron Carter refuses to give up his guns. The former child pop star is believed to have over 500 in his possession.

During an appearance on The Doctors last week, Carter revealed that he’d been diagnosed with personality disorder, schizophrenia, manic depression, and acute anxiety. “This is my reality … hi,” he said, while holding up a plastic bag filled with his prescribed medications. “I have nothing to hide.”

(Read: 73% of Musicians Report Suffering from Mental Illness)

As TMZ reports, following the TV appearance police showed up to Carter’s home “with the intent of taking him away on a 5150 hold.” 5150 refers to a section of the Welfare and Institutions Code that allows for a person with mental illness to be involuntarily detained in a psychiatric hospital for up to 72 hours if they’re believed to be a danger to themselves or others.

Carter said he’s unsure who reported him, but was ultimately able to convince the authorities and a mental evaluator that he posed no threat to anyone, including himself. He also made sure to stress to them that he was unwilling to give up his firearms.

Although he received his gun license only a few weeks ago, the 31-year-old Carter already has five in his name. Those are in addition to the 500 he reportedly inherited from his father, a US Marine veteran who passed away in 2017.

When TMZ asked whether he disclosed his mental health illnesses on his license application, Carter seemed to refute the numerous diagnoses aired on The Doctors, claiming his interview had been edited.

Since entering the entertainment business in 1995, Carter — the younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter — has dealt with a number of DUI arrests and marijuana charges. In September 2017, after struggling with extreme weight loss brought on by the loss of his father, Carter checked himself into a rehabilitation and treatment center.

(Read: 10 Songs That Get Real About Mental Health)

“I definitely felt like I hit a rock bottom personally and emotionally,” Carter said in a People interview at the time. “I started getting really stressed out about things like my relationship or the expectations people had for me, and then I just stopped eating.”

In addition to a 5150 hold, many US states also have “red flag laws” in place, which permit police or family members to petition that firearms be taken away from someone they consider to be dangerous. In fact, California, where Carter resides, was the first state to pass such a law in 2016. Some studies say such gun control laws are effective in deterring mass shootings, but overall, the jury still seems to be out.

Aaron Carter refuses to give up his 500 guns despite mental health issues
Lake Schatz

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