Most (but not all) people who go through combat develop stress from that combat, and anybody that lives develops unusual habits or mannerisms. Many, if not most, probably could use some counseling on the matter. Very little of that (although still far too much) is PTSD.

We’re not talking just being stressed out about the matter, or even being nervous or having unusual ranges of emotion. We’re talking about avoiding work or social contact rather than risk something reminding you of a trigger, or having your range of emotions hit so hard that your social development takes a significant hit, or worse.

Under Clinton, a lot of troops going to the various Veteran’s Affairs works ended up on the NICS, almost always without the actions of a judge. If a pair of doctors think you were a danger to yourself or others in Hawaii, you were judged mentally defective. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs still retain the ability to report mental defectives to the FBI.

The ATF itself almost certainly wouldn’t bother going after you until they change their regulations again, but your odds of getting off the NICS would be slim to none, and arguably you would be in violation of federal law (and in some cases where state law mimics federal, state law).

Beyond that, a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis states only that a single psychologist believes you match the diagnosis’s criteria, in a method which severely impacts normal basic, social, or business functioning. I’m unaware of any state law which that recognizes and individual as a mental defective on its own; there needs to be either second level of overview, a required agreement with another licensed psychologist, or more conventional forms of review. In most states, the review must also recognize that the individual is dangerous to himself or others, or meet some other criteria more limited than the mere DSM criteria.

Of course, good luck proving that wasn’t done right to the HR 2640 review boards.

An adverse reaction to traumatic stress does not make one “mentally defective”. It makes one human.

I think SAF made a lot of noise about it.