The current discussions regarding the shooting death of SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle have not strayed from the subject of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
From some background, War has always been an extremely ugly, difficult and often horrendous experience for soldiers since the dawn of time. This experience has tended to change an individuals mindset which can present in many ways ranging from nightmares to overt paranoia. Many of the individuals having such problems have historically chosen to “self-medicate” though the use of whatever was available, often alcohol. After Vietnam we as a nation became determined to help these people with this problem.
But now there is a push to get as many Veterans as possible onto the roles of those suffering from PTSD. Part of this is good intentions and a genuine desire to help… part is that the programs are funded by the number of individuals utilizing the services… and part seems to be something else which is becoming evident during this latest Gun Control debate.
We are once again in the middle of a debate on gun control here in the United States. Why the debate exists is because we were founded with the intent the government was not to be trusted. That’s what the Second Amendment is about… not Skeet Shooting. But there are people out there who simply cannot imagine the government ever doing anything bad to its citizens. (I will allow the fact that the government has already spent us into oblivion to slip by…)
So this refreshed debate is now becoming a discussion regarding “Universal Background” checks. These background checks are offered as necessary because… well, I’m not sure why as they would not have kept the weapons out of the hands of the latest shooters. But an integral part of these “new and improved” background checks would be the addition of medical records of psychologically impaired individuals with the idea that they should not own guns.
You with me yet?
It is no secret that veterans are included on the list of individuals DHS profiles as possible homegrown terrorists.
Stay with me…
So how better to disarm those who would be most effective in resisting tyrannical government than to start with preventing our veterans from arming themselves legally. Once PTSD is included in the class of psychologically impaired and would throw a flag during a “Universal” Background check they will be made criminals if they choose to arm themselves.
It will not be difficult for the U.S. to enter these folks into the database as the services they take advantage of are administered by the Veterans Administration (VA). They are already on a list.
Let’s understand something… there are millions of people out there with “PTSD”. There always will be, as bad things happen to people… and always will. But just because someone was raped, in a bad car crash, mugged, lost a child or was in battle should not prevent them from owning a firearm. In several of the above examples owning a firearm might actually aid in recovery. But the focus on PTSD, to the exclusion of other possible motives in the Chris Kyle shooting has me concerned. But this is not a new concern… I have watched with interest the evolution of these renewed calls for citizen disarmament. It seems to me that there is a strange urgency to make sure everyone is “on the record” as having some kind of disorder.
Could it be possible that the final motivation of increasing the roles of those diagnosed with PTSD is to ultimately limit the ability of our returning warriors to possess firearms? And if they do, make sure there are accurate records as to their whereabouts and what weapons they have if any? Could it be just another piece of the puzzle? Little by little our rights are erased with what appears to be reasoned arguments made with the stated goal of “saving the life of a single child” when it is actually about dismantling those parts of the U.S. Constitution that limit Government and prevent those “with only the best of intentions” to do TO us what they feel “best”?
The power to resist is a mighty deterrent to those who know their ideas are unpopular. History is replete with examples.
I have to confess… I don’t like any of this.
In the end, We lost good men in Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. We lose many good people every day. We must make sure our sorrow does not prevent us from recognizing what preserves our Freedoms… and what does not, and will not.
The ones we haven’t lost are some of the finest citizens this country has. Don’t allow our Veterans to be marginalized by those who never appreciated them in the first place.
makeaneffort 