I have a diagnosed mental illness.

[politicat]

48. Me, too.

I have situational anxiety, mild PTSD (thanks to an abusive childhood) and Seasonal Affective Disorder.

All three are managed well with medication and therapy (when needed) and I have never been hospitalized, have never had any interaction with the law due to my illness, and I'm perfectly functional. My very worst interaction with the legal system is that I am responsible for my grandmother (as her Power of Attorney) and I have had one speeding ticket and a traffic ticket for a minor fender bender in my almost 40 years.

I have no interest in owning a gun -- I'm one of those awful people who think nobody should have them, including the cops -- but right now, I can totally pass a background check. In fact, I have above secret clearance. And yes, I disclosed my mental injuries (I am not ill -- my condition is the result of scars inflicted upon me) to get my clearance. I am trusted with sensitive information. I can also be trusted with a car, a credit card and a weapon if I choose to get a license and register it. I am a perfectly functional, capable citizen with all of the same rights and responsibilities.

I also live in a place where it's actually sensible to own at least a shotgun. We do get hungry, grumpy spring bears coming down from the mountains for the tasty, tasty garbage and pets. We have big cats who aren't much scared of humans. We have elk, and rutting males can be very aggressive. We have coyotes. Sometimes, they're not just in the yard, but in the house or garage. They CAN go through drywall walls. For my neighborhood, having a firearm and knowing how to use it is a very good idea.

My mental injury has no bearing on my rights as a citizen, nor do the mental injuries of my clients. We are not criminals who have been adjudicated guilty. If society wants to prevent us from exercising our full civil rights, then society must state it. Tell us that we are second-class citizens.

And expect us to sue, protest and revolt. Society's undiagnosed paranoia about us cannot be cured at the expense of our civil rights.