Failed presidential candidate Senator Gillibrand [D-NY] has a plan to address the problem of suicides by military members and encourage them to get the mental health treatment they need.
Currently, the Department of Defense has a policy that requires mental health professionals to report many cases of mental health concerns of service members to a commander. This policy leads to mistrust and acts as a barrier to treatment because service members fear the repercussions to their career if they come forward with their mental health challenges. Of course, DOD must have policies to keep their service members and colleagues safe, but their standards for reporting mental health challenges are vague and go much further than the standards for civilian mental health professionals or even military chaplains. This policy is more likely to force service members to suffer in silence and does nothing to help commanders maintain good order and discipline.
So she doesn’t want people with mental health problems to be reported to the authorities because that would discourage them from coming forward and making their needs known. Except when she does.
You see, Gillibrand also favors so-called “red flag” laws. Laws that encourage non-professionals to report people they suspect of having “mental health challenges” to the authorities.
Isn’t it amazing how little she cares about access to help if there’s a chance to violate someone’s Second Amendment rights?