Sunday, March 18, 2012

Another Iraq Vet Goes Berserk

Local news reports

An Iraq veteran who is believed to have killed his 11-year-old sister and himself in Gilroy this week had been upsetting his family with his talk of suicide and brandishing of guns. When they called police to their apartment two weeks ago, they told the officer the war had left their loved one a changed man.

Zillmer [psychologist Eric Zillmer, a Drexel University professor and co-editor of the book "Military Psychology] said record keeping on suicides and murders by veterans suffering from PTSD is a modern phenomenon, so it is impossible to know if the problem is any worse now than during previous wars.
I've wondered about that. After Vietnam, for example, I don't recall so many incidents involving guns even though PTSD was very widespread. Vietnam vets often got into drugs or drank heavily, there were fights and lots of maladjustment. But these incidents of murder/suicide were fewer, at least as I recall.

Gun availability is one obvious difference.

Faustino Gutierrez, 46, Martha Gutierrez's brother, said the young veteran would sit on a sofa twirling a handgun and also brandished a rifle inside the family's apartment. He had recently returned from Iraq.

"He said he killed a lot of people in Iraq," Faustino Gutierrez said. "It was in his conscience, and he didn't want to live anymore."
What's your opinion? For sure the family made a tragic mistake in not taking proactive steps to prevent this. Do you think the pro-gun talk of rights and freedom, as they define it, contributes to the difficulty of disarming an obviously dangerous person before they go off the deep end?

I think so. The combination of gun availability and the misguided importance many folks place on the "right" to own guns is a deadly combination in many cases.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

13 comments:

  1. Weren't the gun ownership numbers in the early 70s about the same as today on the basis of a percentage of the total households? In addition, I hear stories from vets about how much easier it was then to smuggle home a trophy firearm. Gun availability isn't the answer to the question that you've asked.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Seriously? You wanna bring up pro-gun issues? This fellow, stupidly, joined the military where the entire training is based on killing people. He then goes to a another country and kills who knows how many people that had done our country no wrong(without a peep from anyone here about those murders). Then, in a moment of self-punishment, gets what he deserves and your question regarding all this is gun availability? That is just sick.
    orlin sellers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Orlin, I agree with you on the bigger anti-war issues. But, that's the country we have. I don't see that changing anytime soon. Therefore one of the most concrete and easily controlled factors in violence is the gun availability which is at an all time high. Crazy and dangerous people shouldn't have access to guns at all. The more we can limit that the better off we all are.

      Delete
  3. Orlin Sellers:

    "Seriously? You wanna bring up pro-gun issues?"

    It's his blog, asshole, he gets to bring up whatever he likes. You can do that at your own blog, why don't you?

    "This fellow, stupidly, joined the military where the entire training is based on killing people. He then goes to a another country and kills who knows how many people that had done our country no wrong(without a peep from anyone here about those murders). Then, in a moment of self-punishment, gets what he deserves and your question regarding all this is gun availability? That is just sick."

    Let's see, how can I reply to this in a measured, yet forceful way? Fuck you, you lying, gutless, sack-of-shit--oh, gee, I hope I haven't hurted your fee-fees.

    You and your cowardly gunzloonz pals rail against the U.S. military while crowing about your 2nd amendment right to "keep and bear arms". Yeah, I can see people like you being in the militia, as long as you don't have to leave your own property.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Democulo, you old bat, I only say that because you obviously can't see the difference between taking gun safety courses and spending months learning and training to be a killer, voluntarily and by choice.
    orlin sellers

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Democulo, you old bat, I only say that because you obviously can't see the difference between taking gun safety courses and spending months learning and training to be a killer, voluntarily and by choice."

    And I say, "fuck you", because that's the most civil thing I can think of to say to a whining cowardly piece of shit like yourself who complains about the military while bragging about his own proficiency. I'm guessin' you don't like cops either--but you're okay with the FD, right?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Үou should take part in a сοntеst
    for onе of the most useful siteѕ on the web.
    Ι will hіghlу reсommend this
    blοg!
    my web site :: payday loans online

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for thе good writeuр. It in faсt was a amusement аccount it.
    Looκ advancеd to faг addеԁ аgreeаble from you!
    By the ωay, hοw could we сommunicate?


    Ηere is mу web blog; payday loans no credit check
    my webpage :: payday loans no credit check

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hmm it seems likе уоur sitе ate my first comment (it was extremеly long) ѕo І guess Ι'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thоroughly enjoуing уour blog.
    I too am an аsрiring blog bloggеr but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers? I'd ceгtaіnlу аppгесiate it.


    Heге іѕ my ωebsite
    ... cheap loans
    Look at my webpage - cheap loans

    ReplyDelete
  9. ӏ'll right away grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you'ѵe
    any? Kindly peгmit me recognise ѕo
    that I may јust ѕubѕcrіbe.
    Thаnkѕ.
    Also visit my web site ; payday loans

    ReplyDelete
  10. Itѕ like уou read mу minԁ! You seem to know
    a lot about this, likе уou wrote the bοok in it or somеthing.

    I think that you could dο with ѕome рicѕ to drіvе the messаge hοme a little bit, but othеr than thаt,
    thiѕ is mаgnificent blog. An excellent
    read. I will definitеly bе bаck.
    my web site - payday loan

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unquestіonably believe that which you said.

    Үour favorite јustification appearеԁ
    to be on the net the eaѕiest thing to bе awагe
    οf. I sаy to you, I definitely get iгkeԁ
    while people think about worries that they
    plainlу do nοt knοw about. Υou manаgeԁ to
    hit the nail upon thе top and alsο defined
    out the whole thing without having side-effects , peоple
    сan take a signal. Wіll probably be back to get more.
    Thanks

    Checκ out my web site :: payday loans uk

    ReplyDelete
  12. Quality articles iѕ the secrеt to be a focuѕ for the visitοrѕ to paу a vіsit the
    web pаge, thаt's what this web site is providing.

    My weblog ... instant loans

    ReplyDelete