Emotions certainly run high in the great gun debate, but disagreement over gun control isn’t an excuse to tell someone to commit suicide–especially if that person is a military veteran and you are a psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In a damning Facebook screenshot making its rounds through Twitter, Facebook and Reddit, Gregg Gorton tells an anonymous gun-toting veteran to “off yourself, please.” Gorton’s message and passive aggressive “please” did not go well with other Facebook users.
“Wow Mr. Gorton, is that what you say to pro-gun veterans at the VA?” a user asked.
Yep. Gorton is a staff psychiatrist at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The suicide rate among military veterans is staggering. A recent study found an annual military suicide rate of 29.5/100,000 veterans, which is 50 percent higher than the average civilian rate. Add in additional factors such as mental illness, enlistment type and gender, and the rate can become even higher. Joking about this very real issue is awful on its own, but a psychiatrist who helps veterans? That’s its own level of low.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has denounced Gorton’s comment and is taking steps to reprimand the doctor. Gorton has also come forward with his own apologies.
“It’s just one of those moments you’d rather take back in your life,” Gorton told The Associated Press. “I’ve worked 30 years to treat psychiatric patients. I teach about suicide prevention. … That’s not me.”