Honest Thoughts From a Veteran About Gun Control and Mental Health
By: Benjamin Sledge
Tags: Guns, Mental Health, Gun Control, Military, Life

Since leaving the military, I’ve been surprised by the number of people I’ve encountered who want to show me their AR-15s (the civilian version of an M4 or M16). They show them off as if we suddenly have a bond because they bought a weapon I went to war with and can strip apart blindfolded.

I always ask the same question: “What made you choose the AR-15?”

With my fellow veterans, it’s an easy answer. The AR-15 is the weapon we’re most familiar with. Durable. Lightweight. Personally, it’s what I’m most comfortable hunting with (especially boar).

Some of the responsibilities that come with being a soldier include gun control.

A few of the people I’ve asked have responded with legitimate and responsible answers. A few others were collectors. But after hearing most people’s reasons, my internal response is the same as my fellow sergeant’s outburst. Basically, these people just want to look cool. They want to play “military” without ever enlisting. Some have even shown me that they have the latest tactical gear, leaving me wondering why they want all the bells and whistles that come along with being a soldier, yet none of the responsibilities. And believe it or not, some of the responsibilities that come with being a soldier include gun control.

Why the military does a better job at gun control than anyone

One thing that has baffled me over the years is that I can go to the grocery store and buy a pack of Tic Tacs and then walk across the street and buy a gun. I’m not baffled that I can buy a gun, as I believe it’s an important liberty to have. But what concerns me is the ease and utter lack of training required to buy a tool that has no purpose other than to kill something.

A knife can be used for cooking and a bat for baseball. But a gun? Unless you’re collecting them for a museum, the point of a gun is to kill something.

Let me give you a breakdown of how the military gets gun control right, and society has the process backwards:

When you enlist in the military, you spend several weeks learning weapons safety and training. Before you are ever allowed to fire a weapon, you must be able to disassemble the rifle, clean it, and then reassemble it. You take tests and quizzes asking you questions pertaining to the distance and speed a bullet can travel. Once you pass your exams, you will then be allowed to fire the weapon under the supervision and training of drill sergeants and weapons experts. Finally, you must qualify with your weapon on targets. If you’re unable to do that, they will not allow you to graduate from basic training.

Even overseas, training and practice is vital towards safety.

In the military, every weapon has a serial number. If that weapon gets lost or misplaced, they know “who done it” and there are serious repercussions. If you own a personal weapon, you must register it with the base you’re stationed at.

In combat or on duty, if it’s determined you’re mentally unfit to carry out your duties, your weapon is confiscated. You’ll then go through counseling until you’re deemed fit to once more carry out your duties. I’ve seen it happen on more than one occasion.

Now compare that to the process of any random person buying a gun in the United States, where there’s no required training and no one who determines whether you’re mentally sound.

“See! This is why we need common sense gun laws,” you say

We’re all tired of mass shootings and know something needs to change. Like you, I fear for my child’s safety at school, and I believe there are reforms that need to take place. The current battle cry is “common sense gun laws” but when pressed, most people can’t articulate what the hell that means aside from emotionally vague sentiments.

The most common argument for gun control is to ban certain styles of weapons from the populace or ensure greater safety measures — but you’re more likely to hear polarizing extremes when this is discussed, as opposed to a thoughtful and well-informed debate. Let me show you an example of how most people don’t know what they’re talking about.

Pop quiz, HotShot! (Bonus points if you get the reference.)

Below is a photo of your standard AR-15 with collapsible buttstock, rail sights for optics, and a 30-round magazine. Below that is a Ruger Mini 14.

An AR-15 SAINT | Springfield Armory

A Ruger Mini 14 | Ruger

Can you tell me the difference between the two? Which one of these should be banned (and why) under “common sense” gun laws?

Most people will point to the AR-15 as the weapon that needs a ban because they associate the AR-15 with mass shootings. Aside from that, they know little to nothing about guns. When I ask about the Ruger Mini 14, however, people assume it’s just your standard hunting rifle. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Both weapons are semi-automatic rifles that fire .223 caliber bullets. Both have the option of collapsible buttstocks, advanced optics, and customization. In fact, here’s a Ruger Mini 14 with custom, tactical options:

A Ruger Mini 14 Model 5846 | Ruger

Yet, there is no difference in the lethality between the Ruger mini 14 with tactical options and the version without. It just looks different because one has wood paneling. Thus, when most people say “common sense gun laws” they’re really saying “ban weapons that look scary.”

Another argument is to ban semi-automatic weapons. The only problem with that is that you’d need to ban pistols, most rifles, and some shotguns if you want to go with that category. A semi-automatic weapon is nothing more than a weapon whose firing mechanism you don’t have to re-cock. When the bullet shell ejects, it loads the next bullet into the chamber. The speed at which you can fire the weapon depends solely on how fast you can pull the trigger.

Potential solutions

If we want to impart common sense gun laws and not let our emotions or misinformation dictate the outcome, perhaps we should follow the same lead as the military:

1. You’re required to go through training and orientation first. You must be able to disassemble the weapon and clean it, plus know the difference between bullet calibers and rate of fire. Afterwards, you’ll be supervised by a weapons instructor and pass target practice. Then, and only then, will you be allowed to take the weapon home. (Veterans and law enforcement are exempt.)

2. Your weapon will be registered with the local police and you’re responsible for its whereabouts. (This needs to be true to a greater degree than what we have in place now.) Parents, if your kids get hold of your weapons and do something dumb, you’re responsible in the same way that you would be if they were driving your car and hit someone. There are repercussions on your end too.

3. Required mental health and criminal background checks. (It’s embarrassing that I even have to state this.) This is perhaps the largest part of the issue that doesn’t have any proper solutions.

If we don’t address mental health, we miss a huge part of the problem

In October 2016, one of my good friends killed herself. I was the last person to speak with her before she put a gun to her head and ended her life.

When I found out that she’d committed suicide with a firearm, I was angry. She should have never been allowed to buy a weapon in the first place. I knew firsthand of her long history with mental illness, and her issues were well documented with psychiatrists. She even informed her clinician that due to a recent divorce, she was struggling with suicidal ideation. A few days prior to ending her life, she bought a handgun. That weapon would be how she exited this world.

As someone who works inside the mental health industry, I’ll be the first to tell you that this is a major issue left unaddressed. I’ve been working on a new program (with a mental health expert) to help men and women combat depression. Often when I speak with men and women about their depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues and I ask what they think the reason behind their issues is, they say, “I don’t know.”

However, I have a hunch that the men and women responding do know; they’re just avoiding a deeper or more intimate conversation. So we surveyed over 500 men and women and the results were staggering. In the survey, our respondents could choose as many answers as they wanted that felt relevant to their situation. We asked things like “Does past pain or trauma play a part in your depression?” and “Are emotional or relational issues part of your depression?”

75% of respondents said stress and difficult life situations were the number one reason behind their depression. Relational issues with others and not knowing how to handle their emotions also affected 60% of those who responded. Unresolved past pain and lacking purpose or direction in life accounted for more than half of all respondents. Less than 5% said they “didn’t know” the reason behind their depression, and that number is misleading because almost every person chose another reason in addition to “I don’t know.”

What we’re seeing is an entire generation of people who no longer have the skills necessary to face adversity or learn how to become resilient men and women. Bullying in schools is endemic, and it’s no longer just the kid from the traumatic home who’s lashing out. It’s the “mean girls” and the cool kids asserting dominance and slighting even their closest friends because that’s what they see on social media and from celebrities. More people are more lonely and isolated than ever before and they’re lashing out, too. Men, in particular, have toxic views of masculinity, like: “Real men do everything on their own. Real men don’t cry. Real men express anger through violence.”

I’ve heard people tell me “I got bullied and didn’t shoot anyone.” Yeah, me neither. I even got stitches from a school bully. But there’s a saying in the military’s SERE school (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape), which is where you learn to experience torture as a prisoner of war: “Everyone breaks.”

You’ve probably heard that phrase in the movies or from political hearings on torture, too. Once you’ve experienced bullying, isolation, or trauma long enough, you too will snap.