Recently my command required all Soldiers to attend a survey called STARRS conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute of Mental Health. Apparently this survey is being conducted Army wide. The survey, which is 90 minutes long, contains a variety of questions concerning one's mental health to include questions about whether the Soldier abuses drugs or alcohol, assaults others, suffers from depression, mania, psychosis or anxiety, has committed war crimes (the survey specifically asks if you have killed non-combatants, unarmed civilians etc) or is a suicide risk. In other words, it is designed to determine the prevalence of harmful, antisocial or psychotic behaviors. The survey was supposedly voluntary, however, when your commander and first sergeant are present and you aren't allowed to leave if you opt out most Soldiers get the unspoken message and understand that rather than volunteering they have been "voluntold".
You can imagine how surprised and displeased I was to find a page dedicated to gun ownership. The survey specifically asks how many guns you own and have in your home. It goes on to ask whether you carry them, the frequency with which you carry them and where you carry them. The survey also goes further specifically asking whether or not you carry other weapons to include black jacks, mace, tasers, knives etc. One question asked whether you carry weapons when going to the grocery store.
The survey's implication was very clear: if you possess privately owned firearms and/or choose to carry them that behavior is an indication of self destructive or homicidal tendencies on the part of the Soldier, something I deeply resent. When I came to the section that wanted me to detail how many weapons I own and how often I carry them I refused to answer and left the questions blank.
I for one am sick and tired of private firearms ownership being portrayed as a sign of mental illness or a predisposition to commit crime. I am also sick and tired of the U.S. military treating its Soldiers like children and criminals. As a Non-Commissioned Officer with an unblemished service record to be asked whether I am war criminal and a drug addict is bad enough but to lump in my choice to carry firearms off post in compliance with all applicable laws and statutes with that type of behavior is disgusting. Apparently the lawful carry of a firearm to defend yourself and your family is an indicator of mental illness and maladjustment. Wonderful.
You can imagine how surprised and displeased I was to find a page dedicated to gun ownership. The survey specifically asks how many guns you own and have in your home. It goes on to ask whether you carry them, the frequency with which you carry them and where you carry them. The survey also goes further specifically asking whether or not you carry other weapons to include black jacks, mace, tasers, knives etc. One question asked whether you carry weapons when going to the grocery store.
The survey's implication was very clear: if you possess privately owned firearms and/or choose to carry them that behavior is an indication of self destructive or homicidal tendencies on the part of the Soldier, something I deeply resent. When I came to the section that wanted me to detail how many weapons I own and how often I carry them I refused to answer and left the questions blank.
I for one am sick and tired of private firearms ownership being portrayed as a sign of mental illness or a predisposition to commit crime. I am also sick and tired of the U.S. military treating its Soldiers like children and criminals. As a Non-Commissioned Officer with an unblemished service record to be asked whether I am war criminal and a drug addict is bad enough but to lump in my choice to carry firearms off post in compliance with all applicable laws and statutes with that type of behavior is disgusting. Apparently the lawful carry of a firearm to defend yourself and your family is an indicator of mental illness and maladjustment. Wonderful.
