Staff Writer
On
April 2, 2014, Ivan Lopez, who served in Iraq but never saw combat, walked onto
Fort Hood, his assigned station in Texas, and opened fire. Authorities say he was being treated for
depression and anxiety, but was not yet diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The tragic shooting that wounded 16 people and killed three others has sparked
a debate once again over the issue of gun control and mental stability.
Questions
have been raised about whether or not servicemen should go through a mental
health evaluation before enlisting. What used to be solely a debate for
stricter gun laws has turned into a question of how much money to spend on
preventing and treating mental illnesses. According to PolitiFact, “Rep. Glenn
Thompson, R-Pa., introduced the "Medical Evaluation Parity for Service
Members Act," which would require a medical evaluation before an
individual enlists in the armed forces.” Interest groups such as Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the Military Officers Association of America support the
legislation. Capitol Hill is in a tough debate over what to do. Senator Harry
Reid of Nevada resists the advancement of mental health provisions because he
fears it would close the door to weapon restrictions in the future. On the
other hand, some gun rights advocates fear that “opening discussion of mental
health could be a back door to a flood of new federal fun laws.”
Still
others believe the issue of mental health could be a way of moving past party
divisions. There is hope even among the heated debates. Senator Richard
Blumenthal of Connecticut explains, “Mental
health is really the key to unlocking this issue… I’ve become more and
more convinced that we should establish the mental health issue as our common
ground.”
Source:
New York Times
