Veterans’ firearm injuries

Anthony

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Anthony received his first firearm as Christmas gift when he was “probably 14 or 15.” He graduated high school early and went directly into the Marine Corp where he received “extensive weapons training.” After retiring from the military Anthony took a security management job at an area casino to keep himself busy. On one evening shift he was involved in an altercation with the violent ex-boyfriend of a co-worker. “I wasn't supposed to be there, it was my day off, but they were short-handed so I came in.” During the scuffle Anthony was shot in his right leg and groin area. “I was bleeding pretty bad and I was just lying on the ground and then he came back to me, stood over me, and I just looked at him and I said, “Go easy on me man,” and he discharged the clip out of the .380, sat it on the ground and ran off.”

At the hospital doctors removed the bullet from Anthony’s groin and although he had a painful recovery, he returned to work just days later. The incident and his injury haven’t changed Anthony’s views on firearms. “I still own guns. It's just something I feel is necessary to protect my family. It's a tool, in my opinion. I don't want to be shot again, I'll put it that way. But it hasn't changed my view of firearms at all.

Anthony describes his involvement in an incident at work where his co-worker’s boyfriend showed up with a gun.

Anthony describes his involvement in an incident at work where his co-worker’s boyfriend showed up with a gun.

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I work construction out of the Marine Corps. I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and bipolar in 2001, so I don't know, I just didn't, didn't mess with firearms that much. And then, I had back surgery in 2005 and again in 2015 and thought it was a good idea to get out of physical labor, so after my back surgery and I healed up I went and started as a security manager for a casino.

And it was, I believe it was October 6th of 2016, I was- it was a, I believe it was a Tuesday and I wasn't supposed to be there, it was my day off, but they were short-handed so I came in, worked a three to eleven shift. And the couple nights prior there was a security officer that, her boyfriend had beat the crap out of her and she was scared to go to her vehicle that night, so I walked her back, and I told her, I said, “You need to call the police. He's going to do something worse than…” I said, “If he can do this to your face and body then he ain't afraid to kill you.” So, a couple nights later, it was like 10, 15 minutes before I was supposed to get off work and we had banned this gentleman from the property because we're afraid he's gonna come in and do something in the casino.

So, I was sitting in the office doing my pass on notes for the next shift and when another security supervisor came in and said, he's out there, and I go, “what do you mean?” It would have been the security officer's boyfriend. So, I ran outside, and the security officer happened to be sitting with a slot technician that she was friends with, and they were walking up to the building and this gentleman had come behind them and was, I don't know. He had a Glock 40 in his right hand, and he had a .380 in his left. So, I went out there, I went out there and I told him, “You need to leave the property.” And he came toward me, he came at me with his left hand and that's what he had the Glock 40 in, so I got control of that, knocked it out of his hand, got one handcuff on him and then I did not know he had the .380 in his right. And he came up and shot once and it went in between my legs, up through my coat jacket and then the other one hit me in the right leg towards the hip area to the femoral bone and it ricocheted off that. Came out my, came out my, well, out my groin and then into, I don't know, just under my scrotum sack and sat there.

When we were having that scuffle, and everything, there's a bunch of employees out there, so they were able to get into a secured door where you needed a badge to get in. So, he ran up there trying to get in the door and couldn't get in and by that time I was bleeding pretty bad and I was just laying on the ground and then he come back to me, stood over me, and I just looked at him and I said, “Go easy on me man.” And he discharged the clip out of the .380, sat it on the ground and ran off.

Anthony emphasizes the importance of letting others around you offer their support.

Anthony emphasizes the importance of letting others around you offer their support.

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You're not tough enough to do it alone. You gotta have good people around you. You might not always like what they say, but it's not them being mean. Your mindset is everybody's against you and they're not. They're concerned about you because they love you.

Anthony says, “You don’t have to speak, just be present.”

Anthony says, “You don’t have to speak, just be present.”

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I mean, their psyche is going to take a huge, huge hit. I mean, the vulnerability you feel after and, you know, the, for lack of better terms, you know, the weakness feels in yourself, takes a hard hit. Especially, you know, if you're an A-type personality and something like that happens to you, it messes up your mojo. So, you gotta take that into account and, I don't know, active listening. You know, like when I, to this day when, you know, I went through that experience and somebody says, “Well I went through this, and I went through that.” That's not actively listening, that's, you know, trying to find similarities between apples and oranges, so. I don't know, I just, just listen. Be there. You don't have to speak, just be present. That was huge for me. Don't push. It's hard cause I've never been in a spot where I was the person, you know, trying to care for somebody that shot themselves, or had been shot, so. I can't really, I really can't embellish on that unless I, you know, walked a shoe in their mile, or a mile in their shoes, so.

Anthony says clinicians need to “focus on the individual instead of the method.”

Anthony says clinicians need to “focus on the individual instead of the method.”

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I guess focus more on the individual instead of the method. Not everything's defined on a protocol or a policy. You've got to find the individual and you've got to find what works for them, not, you know, “Well, this worked for Joe so this should work for Bob.” And not a psychiatrist, a psychologist.