How Psilocybin Answered My Gun Questions
I don’t talk about it outside a tight circle of people, but recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury is a difficult and emotional journey. As a person that could remember 10 digit grids on-the-run, not being able to remember the six digit security code between apps on the phone was scary.
After a few years of diagnosis and unsuccessful conventional treatment, Heroic Hearts Project offered me an alternative treatment in Costa Rica. It changed my life and created a path to recovery. Five years later, I’d confidently say that my memory is 95% recovered, I’m happier, and just about everything in life is better.
Because of our culture and legal system, we can’t talk about it openly. And it’s a shame because I’ve personally witnessed this type of treatment work for veterans and first responders. When the Psychedelic Medicine Alliance of Washington helped get Senate Bill 5263 in front of Washington State legislators, it was time to step up and help our community receive a natural treatment for post traumatic stress and TBIs.
If you want to support this effort you can click this link to support. If you want to learn more, visit the Heroic Hearts Project website.
I learned a lot in this legislative process, but it’s not what you think.
Getting any legal change pushed through takes time, effort, and money. The process involves hiring a professional to coordinate meetings with representatives and session testimonies–it’s boring AF. Instead of doing the standard swiping of social media while waiting for my turn to speak, I sat and listened.
Testimonies ranged from issues surrounding Hepatitis A, universal health care coverage, drug addiction screenings for inmates getting released, manufacturing challenges, etc.. The volume, variety, and depth of the challenges felt overwhelming. But those that spend their time preparing, rehearsing, and executing per the process tend to get things done.
Whether we like it or not, our “tac/mil/le” community is exceptionally judgmental of those that don’t look like us, talk like us, or think like us. And that was the overwhelming majority of people sitting beside me at the testimony. I can’t say that I agreed with everything they said, but I had to respect the people putting in the work.
As I sat there, my questions about Washington’s anti-gun laws were answered. The anti-gun community simply put in the work, time, and money. “Our” community’s response wasn’t suits and well rehearsed testimony–it was derpy 2A advocates that don’t believe in cardio toting guns around the Capitol to “exercise their rights.” (Super bad look) If it wasn’t the public media shitshow, it was frantic online banter that had zero impact on legislators.
Photo Cred ( The Olympian )
Look, I get it. Criminals don’t obey laws. The Government is evil. The ability to own a firearm is a right granted to Americans by the Constitution. And even if it wasn’t, people should be able to defend themselves, family, and communities from criminals. We’ll “Molon Labe” with the best of them.
But the constitution is a living document. Look it up. It will change if a mass of people put in the time, effort, and money.
What I learned: They’re simply outperforming us.
Maybe if we want to keep our rights or change our communities for the better, we should get a haircut, trim the beard, exercise, plan, rehearse, and execute in a professional manner. Trying to broker any deal with a gun in plain sight is sketchy at best and adds fuel to the opponent’s fire.
For all you keyboard commandos and 2A tacti-bros, you've spent the last few years criticizing administrations and prepping for the future that will probably never come. Maybe it's time to step up, put in the work and defend your rights in a meaningful way.
They’re showing up and outworking you.
Starts at home with training and respect. My mother said never point a weapon at someone, even a toy gun, unless you’re going to use it. Most not all people who are against guns have never fired a weapon. Criminals will never abide by gun legislation – that’s a whimsical fantasy – they do fear an arm law-abiding citizen willing to defend themselves or others. I’m a vet and hate the AR-15. It jams and have cleaned too many to count. What’s next a 30-06 ban? The AR-15 is always in the spotlight. Ban the damn thing. Only problem is anytime there is talk of banning. The sales go through the roof on AR-15 along with the price. Let the gun experts decide policy. I agree we are being outperformed.
Folks are arguing here that the anti-gun crowd relies on emotion, not facts. Well here’s a fact for you: The number one cause of death of children and teenagers in the USA is now gunshot wounds. It was automobile deaths prior. The 2A Mob shows their absolute worst when they won’t acknowledge that the AR15 is the common thread among all of the most notable mass murders of children. I’m a 65 year old rifle and pistol collector, competitor and an ex-NRA range safety officer. Despite what the NRA is saying, guns are indeed the problem. In the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s (that era often considered the “good old days”) statistically NO ONE owned military style semi auto weapons. Damned few people owned handguns and none of those were high capacity. Returning Vietnam veterans would no more own an M16 styled rifle than fly to the moon.
It IS the guns – and unfettered access to them by entirely untrained, often unstable individuals. Every other country in the world has these problems: Mental health issues, violent video games and movies, whatever it is you that want to blame for gun violence, they all have that. The one thing we have that they don’t is the mass proliferation of semi auto, military styled weapons to civilians. Veterans know better than anyone what these weapons are capable of.
The NRA could have led the nation with real safety and proficiency training, periodic testing, support of background and mental health checks. Instead they took the low road to protect the firearms manufacturers instead of the people. Face it folks. This shit has got to stop. We can help guide the process, and as human beings, it is our obligation.
I don’t disagree with you. However, the reasoning on the anti-gun side always seems to be shored up with feelings over facts, and that in itself is illogical. Yet in this supermajority controlled state, it’s just a dog and pony show.
The Washington legislature side stepped the courts because they know that it will cost us hundreds of thousand, if not millions, of dollars to fight them in court, which buys them time to implement more unconstitutional laws and higher taxes. These cases take years to even get in front of a judge here in Washington and pretty much every judge is afraid of the governor and AG, so they go along with their schemes. They also know that they can appeal to the anti gunners emotions and they will donate to their campaigns with both wins and losses. It is all about staying in power, nothing more/nothing less. If you truly want change in this state, you have to put in the work to vote out the bad seeds in Olympia and all the cities where their city councils have created toxic political environments that aren’t focused on Washington residents. And just in case you haven’t been paying attention, the Washington Supreme Court just allowed an unconstitutional income tax to move forward in this state under the guise that it is an excise tax, which is completely counter to the IRS and the other 49 US states’ definition of what an income tax is. A capital gains tax is an income tax, except if you are the Washington governor, attorney general, or Washington Supreme Court judge.
It is well past time to get out there and put in the work. Puffing out your chest on the internet only furthers the erosion of our rights. It is our responsibility to take action and get all of our friends and neighbors involved and it starts with voting. For every person that doesn’t vote, there is a ballot harvester in King, Pierce, and Snohomish county gathering votes to keep Washington from actually getting back to being a place that respects its residents.
I’m a gay vet that follows you. I only mention I’m gay because what you’re noting is how two things have gotten and are getting done. One is gay marriage – our community put on the suits and built the non-profit advocacy groups and did the work to bring people over to our side. We made the persuasive arguments that worked in many places. Even if one disagrees with the SCOTUS decision, it was also the result of that kind of work.
The second is the overturn of Roe v. Wade and other recent legislative and court victories by what many call the “religious right”. Again, not commenting on the “politics” of it; just sharing the observation that the movement in those circles has been organized and working hard for decades. And that’s how they get things done.
I’m a 2A supporter and gun owner. I change the minds of my fellow liberals not by open carrying in Starbucks and LARPing on weekends, but by having honest, reasoned discussions with them. I’ve brought a handful over to see my side and agree.
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