Out of boredom, I did a little informal poll. I asked recruiters of the 4 branches of service the same question. “Why are there questions related to mental health when someone is joining your branch of service?” The answer consistently was, “recruits are going to be trusted with weapons,” as the first thing out of their mouth.
AS THE FIRST THING OUT OF THEIR MOUTH. Why not “state secrets?” Because 11B infantry don’t require that level of security clearance but operate many different types of firearms/weapon systems.
So I’m curious, why do we require people have demonstrable mental acuity when joining the military and handling weapons, but not when handling weapons (in civilian life)?
For the record, I support a person’s right (and duty) to defend themselves. I also support the governments right to make sure that recruits can handle a firearm safely and not kill the men and women they serve with.
I just also support the government using the same standard so that children have the same protections as adults.
*Don’t try to use the argument “voluntary service.” Because “draft.”
So, why do we have a higher standard for protecting adults, and a lower one for protecting children? I’m all ears.
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