There is no knee jerk reaction when it comes to gun laws, suicide rates and the mentally handicapped. There needs to be such laws like that of Rep Murphy had introduced yet many in the gun lobby attacked as infringing on one’s 2nd Amendment right – PB/TK
Disgraceful gun bill endangers veterans: Army vet – Lindsey Donovan March 29, 2017
I am a proud veteran of the United States Army. The seven Army Values are a part of my moral DNA. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage are at the heart of who I am today. These values serve as the backbone to every service member who has served or is still serving in our Armed Forces and they deserve better than what our federal lawmakers have given them. Instead of protecting our most vulnerable veterans, men and women with severe mental illness, the House this month passed a bill that made it easier for them to get guns.
Our veteran population is facing a devastating suicide crisis. Every day, 20 veterans take their lives — not surprisingly, two-thirds of them use a gun. And the veteran suicide rate is more than 20% higher than for civilian Americans. Yet in the midst of this crisis, our elected officials voted to remove from the background check system nearly 170,000 records of veterans with severe mental illnesses. These veterans will now be able to purchase and possess firearms, even if they have been determined to be incapable of managing their own affairs.
How did we get to a point where the gun lobby’s bottom line means more to our lawmakers than the health and safety of those who have bravely served this country?
This issue hits the raw nerve of individuals who have lost their husbands, wives, children and friends to suicide. For me, this is personal. Even though I am a proud veteran, I am also the proud wife to a United States soldier. My husband has completed three combat tours in Iraq and a fourth in Afghanistan. Anyone who has been a witness to what multiple wars and deployments can do to soldiers and their families knows that war is hell. We send them over to do a mission and welcome them back expecting for them to go on as usual. But it never works that way. Transitioning back to “normal” is sometimes too much to endure and for some, in the blink of an eye, it can seem like the only way out is through the barrel of a gun.
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