Bar shooting in Vail, CO: PTSD to Blame?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2368626/shooting_in_vail_co_ptsd_to_blame.html?cat=17

According to the Associated Press, a gunman opened fire in a bar located in Vail, CO Saturday evening, killing one and injuring three others.

Witnesses say that a man was arguing with customers in the Sandbar Sports Grill in Vail at approximately 7:30 pm Saturday and was being escorted out of the building when he reached for a gun and started shooting. It appears that during the ruckus, 63-year-old Richard Moreau re-entered the bar and fired off several more shots as people scattered. He was apprehended shortly thereafter and remains in custody.

A NH native, Moreau is said to be a longtime resident of the Colorado resort town. A 2006 interview by the Vail Daily states that Moreau claimed to be a veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), having served two tours in war-torn VietNam.

Statistics show that as we head towards the holiday season, depression can set in more so than other times of the year. Shorter days, cooler temperatures keeping people indoors, higher heating costs, worry about paying holiday bills - all can take their toll on even the most cheerful among us. Add in the current economic situation, foreclosures on every city street, and an unemployment rate in double digits and it's not hard to see why depression is affecting so many.

Are we diligent enough in identifying those that need help? More importantly, are we providing the help they need once identified?

[joeybee12]

1. And if we are identifying them, why are we allowing them to get guns?

Oh yeah, the Santa Claus amendment...we get all the guns we want, whenever we want, dammit.

[TheWraith]

3. Do you seriously believe that?

Or are you one of those people who doesn't realize that there's about 20,000 laws in this country governing who can get guns, what guns, when, and where they can be carried or used?

[Wapsie B]

2. Well with a de-funded mental health system in this country

I would answer no to both your questions. We have politicians who gladly cut funding for those touchy-feely things like mental healthcare, social workers in favor of funneling that money somewhere else. Then we sit back in horror as someone snaps in Vail, Colorado, or Dekalb, Illinois and wonder how something like that could happen?