Editor,
The rights and freedom of millions of disabled Americans are at risk by the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) planned proposed rule change to report those recipients who meet a broad and unfair characterization for a mental health issues to the FBI (as reported by the Hill on May 5, 2016).
The law is already in place to ensure that those who have been adjudicated mentally defective cannot legally own a firearm. The SSA rule change would effectively alter the meaning of the law to encompass millions of Americans who suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and long-term grief.
This is an unprecedented violation of personal rights and is an overreach that goes against every legitimate value and moral ethic that this county was founded upon. All because many are on disability does not mean that they are de facto criminal masterminds out to break the law and commit mass murder. In fact, how many mass murders were Social Security beneficiaries in the last 40 years? None.
It is ludicrous to believe that a person who has never broken the law, but is afflicted with a mental health condition such as long-term grief is a risk to society. This proposal, due to its blanket nature, would unfairly encompass millions of lawful Americans without due cause.
Literally overnight, metaphorically speaking, millions who receive SSA benefits would be painted with a yellow star and thus be blacklisted from exercising their freedoms because of a rule change. Unequivocally, these SSA recipients, as well as their family members, would be put into criminal status with the likelihood of incarceration just because they receive SSA benefits or live with someone who does. Is that not insane?
We won’t test people on welfare for drug use, but we’ll take the rights and freedoms of Social Security recipients just because we can. Does that make any sense at all?
I am no lawmaker but if I were one, I’d focus on education. We educate our children starting as young as five on everything from sex ed to driving, so why not gun safety and responsible firearm stewardship?
This proposed rule change by the SSA is not about public safety, it is a sinister way to enslave millions of Americans to a rule that abrogates their rights, and those of their family members, just because they are a Social Security beneficiary.
Why turn lawful citizens into criminals when we already have far too many real criminals? Let us enforce the laws we already have before we impose new ones onto everyone else.
Ray H Williams
Battle Ground
