Should ADDers Own Guns?

Should people who have ADHD be allowed to own guns? It's a good question with no easy answer.

It set me to thinking yet again, should people who have ADHD be allowed to own guns, any kind of gun, in fact any weapon capable of killing?

If we look at some of the symptoms and impairments of ADHD, the answer is a no-brainer. We are impulsive, don't always understand consequences, have low self esteem, are anxious, and probably depressed. We also experience life in terms of ourselves - we take things terribly personally. The recipe is ideal for a disaster.

The risks of an accident happening, or an unintended killing, like a threat gone wrong, are probably higher than for non-ADHD people.

If you answered yes to the question, then I have some more questions for you.

• If you are on medication like Ritalin and Concerta, and have been coached and are managing your life well, should you then be allowed to own a gun? What happens if you forget to take your meds that day?
• If you have ADHD, should you be allowed to own and drive a car? Cars kills a lot of people.
• If you have ADHD, should you be allowed to have a gun while in the military or in a police department?
• If you have ADHD, should you be allowed to work in a nuclear facility?
• If you have ADHD, should you be allowed to fly a plan, a jet fighter, or horrors, a passenger jet?

It all gets quite silly doesn't it. Fact is that ADDers are to be found in every kind of industry and job type. Imagine what would have happened to the world if Winston Churchill wasn't allowed to be charge of Great Britain during the second world war?

So maybe the question is wrong. Shouldn't the question be, "who can own a gun?

The US has the highest rate of private gun ownership globally, with approximately 88.8 guns per 100 people, while South Africa ranks 50th, with a rate of 12.7 guns per 100 people.

BUT - South Africa has a higher rate of gun-related homicides, with 17 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the US rate of 3.2.

So maybe the question is wrong again. Shouldn't the question now be, "why is the death rate in the USA so much lower than South Africa´s?" Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Banning guns won't work either; it's people that do the killing, not the guns.

Would I own a gun? No, and I won't inflict my judgement on anyone else either. Am I responsible enough to own a gun? I believe I am, but I do not want the responsibility of having to make that decision when I think my life is threatened.

What if I was wrong and shot someone by mistake?

 Top Image by Franco Monsalvo * Bottom Image by Karolina Graboska