Should Veterans With PTSD Be Able to Own Guns?
Should Veterans With PTSD Be Able to Own Guns? Community Health Courtney Gosnell East Tennessee State UniversityExecutive Summary Veterans with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder should not be allowed or able to own a gun. By federal law, under 18 U.S.C. ? 922(d), it is unlawful for anyone to sell a firearm or ammunition to any person while knowing or having a reason to suspect that person has a mental disorder or defect (Doeden, 2011). There is a reason for this; people who have PTSD are more dangerous than those who do not. Having PTSD increases the likelihood of more deaths and violent crimes. When a person is exposed to a traumatic event, it can cause life-long mental issues that affect the way they would handle a weapon before the experience. With gun control for veterans with PTSD, there will be more of a sense of security and safety among the American population. There are already laws in place and also future laws that are coming into existence about the issue of veterans with PTSD owning guns. This is an issue that needs further research and eventual gun control laws in order to help promote, protect, and preserve the safety of the American population. Some perhaps believe and argue that veterans in fact, should be allowed to own guns. It is an ongoing battle between gun control and gun rights. Arguments in favor of veterans owning guns suggest that there is less in home safety for the veterans and less power to protect themselves in dangerous situations. That is not the case. Giving these individuals gun ownership rights is asking for injury. This is shown in many different research studies. Why would there already be laws in place if it were safe? These arguments would say that it is not fair to target just one particular mentally ill group. That could perhaps be the case; however, veterans with PTSD are significantly more dangerous than others because of prior knowledge of lethal weapons. Gun control is politically controlled for the safety of citizens and not intended to make people mad or take away their rights. Like all battles in culture wars, then, the fight is not over what the Second Amendment means, or about how to reduce violence, but, about how we understand ourselves as American citizens (Tushnet, 2013). IntroductionMany Americans are asking the question Should Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) own guns? The answer is no. There have been more cases in the news on this particular issue in the past 5 years than in years past. Some include the movie theater shooting in Colorado, the suicide attempt of a navy seal, and the ex-military sniper who caught a house on fire to harm the voluntary firefighters in New York. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious mental illness that does not need to be taken lightly. Any fearful trauma can produce PTSD but with veterans, most of these events come from fighting in the war. Guns are lethal weapons and, in the hands of an individual trained to be lethal with them, can kill an innocent individual within seconds. First of all, there is a set criterion for PTSD. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which two critical factors must have been present. The first of the two criteria that must be met is: the individual has witnessed, experienced, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. Second, the individuals response involved helplessness, horror, anger, or intense fear. PTSD can also trigger other illnesses such as depression. Depression can come from the symptoms associated with PTSD (National Institute for Mental Health, n.d.). Because of this mental illness, veterans with PTSD should not be able to own guns. Safety becomes a big issue when PTSD sufferers are capable of losing all control and/or sense of reality. Violence can arise through both accidents and bursts of rage associated…; Should Veterans With PTSD Be Able to Own Guns? Community Health Courtney Gosnell East Tennessee State UniversityExecutive Summary Veterans with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder should not be allowed or able to own a gun. By federal law, under 18 U.S.C. ? 922(d), it is unlawful for anyone to sell a firearm or ammunition to any person while knowing or having a reason to suspect that person has a mental disorder or defect (Doeden, 2011). There is a reason for this; people who have PTSD are more dangerous than those who do not. Having PTSD increases the likelihood of more deaths and violent crimes. When a person is exposed to a traumatic event, it can cause life-long mental issues that affect the way they would handle a weapon before the experience. With gun control for veterans with PTSD, there will be more of a sense of security and safety among the American population. There are already laws in place and also future laws that are coming into existence about the issue of veterans with PTSD owning guns. This is an issue that needs further research and eventual gun control laws in order to help promote, protect, and preserve the safety of the American population. Some perhaps believe and argue that veterans in fact, should be allowed to own guns. It is an ongoing battle between gun control and gun rights. Arguments in favor of veterans owning guns suggest that there is less in home safety for the veterans and less power to protect themselves in dangerous situations. That is not the case. Giving these individuals gun ownership rights is asking for injury. This is shown in many different research studies. Why would there already be laws in place if it were safe? These arguments would say that it is not fair to target just one particular mentally ill group. That could perhaps be the case; however, veterans with PTSD are significantly more dangerous than others because of prior knowledge of lethal weapons. Gun control is politically controlled for the safety of citizens and not intended to make people mad or take away their rights. Like all battles in culture wars, then, the fight is not over what the Second Amendment means, or about how to reduce violence, but, about how we understand ourselves as American citizens (Tushnet, 2013). IntroductionMany Americans are asking the question Should Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) own guns? The answer is no. There have been more cases in the news on this particular issue in the past 5 years than in years past. Some include the movie theater shooting in Colorado, the suicide attempt of a navy seal, and the ex-military sniper who caught a house on fire to harm the voluntary firefighters in New York. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious mental illness that does not need to be taken lightly. Any fearful trauma can produce PTSD but with veterans, most of these events come from fighting in the war. Guns are lethal weapons and, in the hands of an individual trained to be lethal with them, can kill an innocent individual within seconds. First of all, there is a set criterion for PTSD. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which two critical factors must have been present. The first of the two criteria that must be met is: the individual has witnessed, experienced, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. Second, the individuals response involved helplessness, horror, anger, or intense fear. PTSD can also trigger other illnesses such as depression. Depression can come from the symptoms associated with PTSD (National Institute for Mental Health, n.d.). Because of this mental illness, veterans with PTSD should not be able to own guns. Safety becomes a big issue when PTSD sufferers are capable of losing all control and/or sense of reality. Violence can arise through both accidents and bursts of rage associated…
