As we near the 10th
anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, I first want to say thank
you to those that were there with me during that time and those that
came after. I would also like to give my condolences to all the
families on either side of the war who lost loved ones or whose
family members came back injured in many different ways. Semper Fi.
As most of you know there has been
quite a debate over the rights of American citizens to own certain
types of weapons and magazines. Personally I think its more about
people control rather than real gun control but unless you control
the latter you can't control the former. There has also been some
debate as to the mental qualifications of those that own weapons or
who should be allowed to own said weapons and magazines.
I am an Iraq veteran who suffers with
PTSD and TBI, as well as a few other injuries, all related to my time
in Iraq. These are the facts. Having said that, I am no threat to
anyone who isn't trying to harm me or my family. Over the weekend I
spent time with a bunch of my friends and family, at a private range,
shooting various types and calibers of weapons, including so called
assault weapons, and I didn’t so much as flinch or threaten anyone.
Not only did I shoot but I discovered that I could still hit a small
target from a sizable distance.
Certainly, there are those amongst us
who shouldn't be allowed to own a gun. They are the people who have
shown, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are looney and, or
violent and are a danger to themselves and others. If these were the
only qualifying points as to who could not own a gun I might even
agree but it's not. Unfortunately, we have people at both the state
and federal levels, who would like to see guns removed from the hands
of veterans, especially combat vets, simply because of TBI or PTSD.
It's not that they have been a danger to themselves or anyone else
it's simply the idea that they MAY have issues because of their time
in combat.
The media would have all of us believe,
via the news and entertainment industry, that because some of us are
war veterans with both TBI and PTSD that somehow we are unstable and
that we are likely to become violent to society or towards the
government because we don't like the things that they are doing. That
somehow, at the slightest bit of confrontation we are going to
explode. Funny thing though its been 10 years, to the day, since the
Iraq war started, and I haven't gone off or shot anyone since my
return. In fact, I haven't done anything that is violent unless you
count hunting and fishing. Furthermore, I detest violence so much
that I won't watch any of the modern war movies. I have heard that
there are some good ones out there but I have no interest, though I
will watch a good scifi movie no matter the content, but that’s a
different issue.
Most Veterans, especially war veterans,
that I have known, despise violence and they very thought of war. It
is also true that many of us own firearms but the reason for that is
many fold: One, it's our right and we have defended that right. Two,
we have been to war so we know that the utopian world that many seem
to think is out there somewhere is not even closely related to
reality. Third, it's about protecting ourselves from a tyrannical
government that would attempt to take away the very rights we put our
lives on the line for. The Constitution doesn't specify what type of
weapons that you should have, it doesn't even say that you are
required to have them, but it does say that you have the right and
that it “ shall not be infringed”. If classifying and telling the
American people what they can and cannot own isn't an infringement
than what is?
The colonists had the equivalent fire
power of the British. In many cases, what the colonists had was
better because theirs were custom made, not military issue, and they
were made for longer distance shooting. The local militias had
cannons and stock piles of ammunition with powder. This is what the
British came after, they knew if they could disarm the militia and
the people then they could control the population. So when the 2nd
amendment was added it was to make sure that the American people had
the fire power that they needed to defend themselves against an out
of control government or some foreign power. It's not about hunting
and it never has been.
Some of you may be thinking that they
will never do this, that they will never take away the rights of
veterans or anyone else to keep and bear arms and yet that’s
exactly what is happening all across this country. Just look at the
laws in NY, CO, MD, IL, CA, amongst others and now try telling me
again that they are not trying to “infringe” on your rights.
Veterans across the country have been receiving letters from the VA
telling them that they are being considered “incompetent” because
of something as simple as not being able to handle a check book and
(this coming from a government that can't handle theirs), if proven
as such, then they will lose their rights to own a weapon and will be
in violation of the law if they don't turn those guns that they may
have in. This is not hearsay, I have seen the letters, not sent to me
as of yet, but to others.
You may not like guns, that’s your
right. I don't like Lobster, but I don't try and regulate it away
from everyone who does. Some of us may be dealing with PTSD and TBI
but most of us are no danger to anyone or to ourselves. If the mark
of competence for a Veteran is a check book, than perhaps everyone in
DC needs to be declared incompetent and have their rights taken away
from them as well. Just my simple minded opinion.
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