Several days ago, there
was yet another shooting at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. This shooting killed
four people, including the shooter, and injured sixteen others. In 2011, Ivan
Lopez, the shooter, spent four months in Iraq. When he came back to the United
States, he self-diagnosed a traumatic brain injury, but this isn’t the sole
cause of his shooting. Lopez was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), but people should not be too fast as to blame this for the shooting. Lopez
sought out help for this disorder, but like many others he did not receive the
proper help. He didn’t get help because people don’t know what to do with this
problem, which needs to change. Although the cure for this disorder is not
known, we shouldn’t blame it because that places a stigma that everyone with
PTSD will commit shootings and this pushes them away from seeking out help.
Something needs to
change to prevent these shootings. We need to do more for the soldiers that
come back with PTSD. We can’t send them back into the world if they are seeking
help; they need to be listened to and given advice. Another thing that needs to
change is the fact that the officials at Fort Hood had to call the police so
that this man could be stopped. I understand that not everyone at the base
needs a weapon, but it doesn’t make sense that a soldier should have to call
the police for something serious that is happening on the base.
Keith Hansen
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