Here is a truth that should be self-evident: all feelings are created equal. Everyone has the right to feel good, no matter where they are. Maybe they’re at home. Maybe they’re at work. Maybe they’re on a United Airlines flight to Tampa.
And everyone has the right to bring whatever they need to feel good. Maybe that thing is a neck pillow. Maybe it’s a full-grown German Shepherd. And maybe it’s a Glock 9mm handgun.
I shouldn’t have to explain these things in the United States of America.
It was written clearly on my holster: “Emotional Support Glock Please Do Not Touch” in big red letters. I guess TSA agents can’t read, because they didn’t hesitate to invade my personal space and take away my mental health treatment.
Do you see them ripping pacemakers out of people’s chests? Do you see them taking away an old man’s blood pressure medication? This is discrimination, plain and simple.
They don’t give those holsters to just anybody. I had to take a multiple choice test online, pay $29.99, and check a box certifying that I had taken a multiple choice test online and paid $29.99. That’s not even including the letter from my brother, who used to be a doctor.
Now my gun is gone, and I’m “banned from air travel in the United States and all its territories.” But I’m not angry. I’m grateful for the opportunity to educate the public about mental health.
Here is my message to the government: Listen. Educate yourself. Be humble. Think about other people’s feelings instead of normative excuses like “the safety of my fellow passengers.” I simply feel better when I have my gun, and that’s really all you need to know.
Obviously, I am pursuing my legal options. Several lawyers have refused my case, claiming that I “violated federal law” and therefore could not sue the government and win. That just goes to show that ignorance has infected the legal profession, too. We have a long way to go.