Your title is odd. “Military Machine Gunner”. He was in the infantry so of course he would man some form of weapon system.
I’m sure gun fetishists will be quick to vilify the mental health professionals who cleared him in April. But mental health professionals are constrained by the law, which says that if a person is not an imminent threat to himself or others, that person may not be held against his will. And it is quite probably that in April he wasn’t an imminent threat to himself or others. In any case, mental health professionals are not clairvoyant, and cannot predict the course a person’s mental disturbance might take.
If anything, this highlights the problem of believing that we can meaningfully address gun violence by improving access to mental healthcare. Don’t get me wrong: there are ample reasons to improve access to mental health care, and we should certainly do that. But we kid ourselves if we think that will make even a dent in the problem of mass shooters.
He wasn’t “cleared”—who uses language like that? He simply was not deemed eligible for involuntary commitment which is a relatively high bar. If you’re going to cover shootings, you need to learn what psychiatric jargon and policy mean. In addition, it helps to know what prompted a psychiatric referral–usually it isn’t some one being a little angry or “a little irrational”.
That aside, was he a Republican (I’m guessing yes)? Did he participate on far Right internet discussion spaces (not unlikely, esp. with ex-military)? Was he ever affiliated with militia or far Right groups? Did he do drugs–meth makes some people act much like schizophrenics. If he had serious mental illness, it probably would have been manifest some time ago and gotten him kicked out of the military, whereas PTSD is a possibility although it usually takes drug use to for someone with PTSD to do something like this?
Let’s ask some better questions. After all the shootings this year, journalists need to learn a few things to better inform us.
The Ammo-sexuals (or Gundementalist if your a believer) in the NRA (No Regulations Allowed) and their lackys in Congress have made it perfectly clear: Any regulation that keeps any American from unlimited ownership of firearms will be opposed, to include:
People on the Terrorist Watch List.
People with mental health issues.
People with a criminal record.
As the Master Cartoonist Tom Tomorrow illustrated most clearly, this is the reality of 2018.
I’m so happy that people with obvious mental problems are able to purchase weapons and ammunition. What could possibly go wrong? Once again, the NRA has blood on their hands. Traitors.
Thank you for this. The manner in which this is being covered by the press, even the good press, is abhorrent.
You’ve put forth several questions that should be asked. As sad as it is to say, the press should be much better at this by now. Lord knows they get enough practice.
I don’t think its odd, although, they should have said a Marine Corps machine gunner. People are assigned specific primary job designations after boot camp and a training period that was called ITR. Back when I was in I think a machine gunner was assigned a 0331 job designation. Anything infantry was an 03 and then two other numbers to specify what part of the infantry they were specialized in. Basic infantry was 0311, machine gunners were 0331. That was a long time ago and I believe many of those designations have been changed. Mine was.
I’m sure every branch of the military has its own job designation system.
Well medically, these shooters need to be studied to see what their motivations are and why. But the GOPers have been beholden to NRA and so, they have refused to consider such medical studies. Because they are afraid of the fucking truth!
living with his mother.
Typical!
I think we need a constitutional amendment to ban motherhood. I believe the NRA might support it.
Doing what? Besides going crazy.
Our sons and daughters are nothing more than grist for the Military Industrial Complex grill. Republicans don’t even talk about our troops, or the war, unless they want a political photo-op.
Bring the troops home. We are not the Saudi’s police force.
Wait? I thought the Saudis and the Taliban were on the same side?
The military industrial complex will never admit that they have a very large post traumatic stress syndrome on their hands. When you are trained to kill it becomes neurological. No cure.
We could always bribe them with apple pie. I hear crime is “in” these days… at least amongst the nobility ; - )
What, are we the only country containing people with mental health problems? Are we the only country with ex-military people? We are not even the only country with a military industrial complex. Those are not the issues. You know what we have that no other country has? A fucking powerful gun lobby that owns politicians.
I think part of each is siding with the other side’s part… lol… and then there’s the “other” guys!
The federal government under Trump has picked up the mantle of straightening things out there, because… you know, social engineering is what Republican government says it excels at.
I wouldn’t bet against that : - )
Worse, I think, is that it probably has the capacity to suppress the true extent of the problem.
On the other hand, it also means more violent and more frequent, professional assaults, like the latest one in California. And if that won’t change people’s minds to maybe slow down funding for “Home-Grown Mass Murderer” development (HGMM) there’s the fact that we’re spending a national fortune on something called "treatment " that looks like an impressive welfare supplement for an increasing number of our finest youth.
Republican policy isn’t sustainable.
And, the legally blind - don’t forget them!
Forgot about that one. My bad.
It is true that Iowa law allows for the granting of gun permits to individuals who are legally or completely blind, although technically it was not previously the case that blind people were explicitly barred from owning firearms on the basis of their visual impairments. A change in regulations (implemented in 2011, not 2018) made it easier for persons with limited sight or other physical disabilities to acquire gun permits and provided licensing authorities less leeway in deciding whether, and to whom, they would issue permits.