Finally the right answer for PTSD veteran gun owners

Finally the right answer for PTSD veteran gun owners
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
May 9, 2013

When Congress passed the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act, it did more harm than good because they did not understand what they were doing. This bill ended up keeping many veterans from seeking help. Why? Because gun owners thought they would have to give up their guns if they sought help.

I was speaking to a group of veterans in 2009 when this was more important to them than anything else I had to say. I wrote that Suicide prevention bill prevents veterans from getting help

"If this part of the bill is not removed then we will keep losing more and more veterans to suicide and see their lives slip away. One more thing if you still don't understand what this did. Some troops deployed into Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. They have guns. Some police officers have PTSD and serve on the streets everyday. They have guns. Do you think they could do their jobs without them? Do you see them all committing suicide or domestic violence with them? Taking away guns when they seek help is an easy answer to a very complex problem and was in fact the wrong answer."

This morning I was reading Panel Votes To Limit Veteran Submissions To Gun Registry

Lawmakers said veterans who are not a threat to harm themselves or others should not be denied a constitutional right to buy and possess guns.

This is a great step in treating veterans with respect and fairly. The means by which they commit suicide is not as important as the reason. If they take away one way to do it but leave the problems unaddressed, they just find another way to do it. Having PTSD does not mean they are all suicidal or dangerous. We don't treat any group the same way just because some members of the group do something. Giving the authority to a judge puts this where it belongs, on a case by case basis.

If a veteran is a danger to himself or others, then just like everyone else, he should have his weapons removed but the fact is, most are not dangerous to anyone. Once they are treated properly and no longer suicidal, then they should be able to go back to court to have their gun rights restored.