[halisaurus]

> Those people usually go for the low hanging fruit that appeals to most people like preventing the mentally ill to buy firearms. However it is important to note some unpleasant facts like the fact that 11% of Americans are on some antidepressant and probably many more were on some anti depression medication in the past [0].

I'm not a doctor, but I doubt that, say, "mild depression" or "previous history of depression" is enough to be considered mentally incapacitated. Is every person on anti-depressants mentally incapacitated?

The article highlights suicide rates.

> In 2014, Veterans accounted for 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults, while Veterans constituted 8.5% of the US population. In 2010, Veterans accounted for 22% of all deaths from suicide and 9.7% of the population.

> Approximately 66% of all Veteran deaths from suicide were the result of firearm injuries.

https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Preve...

[ctdonath]

That's the problem: bureaucrats ARE marking veterans mentally incapacitated precisely because of "mild depression" or "previous history of depression" - and are doing so often that veterans' advocates are finding it necessary to lobby for laws stopping the practice.

[fapjacks]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you are or you know a veteran, because I find that people outside the VA system don't find believable the things that go on inside the VA system.