[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Evan Thomas

No, it emphatically is not, nor should be. If you read Form 4473, question 11(f) reads as follows: Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?

And the question is followed by a note to see the instructions for question 11f, which say:

Question 11.f. Adjudicated as a Mental Defective: A determination by a court,
board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked
subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease: (1) is
a danger to himself or to others; or (2) lacks the mental capacity to contract or
manage his own affairs. This term shall include: (1) a finding of insanity by a court
in a criminal case; and (2) those persons found incompetent to stand trial or found not
guilty by reason of lack of mental responsibility.

Committed to a Mental Institution: A formal commitment of a person to a mental
institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term
includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily. The term includes
commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments
for other reasons, such as for drug use. The term does not include a person in a
mental institution for observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution.

https://www.atf.gov/file/61446/download