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Gun Control for Veterans with Ptsd

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Wakefield 1 deAnne Wakefield Dr. Tina Redd Writing 122 October 25, 2013 Gun Control for Veterans Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In the wake of all the recent school and military base shootings, our government and other entities are trying to pinpoint the “why” for these tragedies. Circumstances vary in each incident, but there is a common factor - the use of guns, and in a few of these incidents, the shooter has been a member or veteran of our United States military, who may or may not have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although PTSD is not a new condition and affects all walks of life and occupations, including child abuse victims to emergency responders, focus for gun control is on those that have recently been diagnosed with PTSD after serving our country in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. PTSD is a condition naturally resulting from trauma exposure and not exclusive to American military service members. An estimated 8% of Americans will experience PTSD. Women are twice as likely as men to develop symptoms and seven million U.S adults (3.6%) have PTSD during the course of a given year. Intense feelings of fear, helplessness and stress patients endure can be caused by physical, emotional, sexual abuse, or drug addiction. Exposure to occupational horror, violence, grief or trauma, including law enforcement, medical professionals, emergency workers and soldiers, can all cause PTSD. It is a natural, human response to tragedy or suffering. (Madison). Although the right to bear arms is a constitutional right, the extension of these rights to those in society that have a mental illness, specifically focusing on veterans with PTSD, have been questioned. While some people feel that veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars all have PTSD and should not have access to assault weapons, others feel that “members and

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