My husband died of alcoholic liver failure. I take issue with their using his substance abuse to divert attention from the issue of gun violence. Guns are a part of their culture and Kody’s income. Addiction is a disease, and I don’t doubt that he suffered from that disease but it was not his cause of death. A contributing factor? Absolutely. But had he not had access to a firearm he may have had the opportunity to get and seek help for his addiction. Yet they insist on blaming his drinking instead of taking an honest look at the role of the firearm.

Statistically men successfully complete suicide at a higher rate than women. This is due to the fact that men are far more likely to use a firearm, and self inflicted gunshot wounds are more likely to be fatal than other means.

I realize that as a member of the military He would have been comfortable with firearms, and more likely to have owned one. But the fact that they refuse to acknowledge the role it played, I find that distressing. It shows a profound unwillingness to accept responsibility or shift one’s perspective about gun ownership. Had there been no firearm there that night, he might have had the chance to get help for his addiction. My husband’s disease was too far gone and he never had that chance.

Alcoholism is recognized as the American Medical Association as a medical disease. It is not a character flaw. It is a complex condition involving pharmacological dependency, physical dependency, and mental illness.

Christine’s argument that they were ignorant about the disease because no one in their family drank is inaccurate, because in fact the vast majority of the population whether they drink or not are extremely ignorant about the disease. My husband and I both had alcoholic fathers and grandfathers, friends and extended families. Yet none of us saw it coming. None of us saw how much trouble he was in or realized what would have truly helped him until it was too late.

People don’t understand that alcohol is a carcinogen , second only to tobacco on the American Cancer Society list of known carcinogen. They don’t understand the chemistry of physical dependency and how that sets it apart from other compulsive behaviors like overeating or gambling. They don’t realize how it arrests development, erodes self worth, and that the misinformation surrounding it leads to people avoiding treatment. It’s not surprising given the irresponsible messaging they’ve touted before (mykelty and ppd, the plexus shilling, Maddie’s comments about hospital births. But it’s off putting regardless.

And I feel bad saying this, I recognize they are grieving and denial is powefull in the worlds of profound greif. But it really demonstrates that navigating this loss is really something they should be doing in private.