WETHERSFIELD - Wethersfield activist Carmen Saez has testified for more than 50 bills in front of Hartford’s Judiciary Committee and continues to testify in hot-button issues such as gun control and mental health.
Saez, who suffers from bipolar disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, uses humor to make her impression.
â€"I always try to make them laugh; humor gets you a thousand miles,†she said. â€"You gotta have some facts, but be sarcastic.â€
The volunteer activist testifies on matters that are far from humorous, though, most recently for second amendment rights and mental health treatment.
â€"In 2010 I was fighting for people who had guns to report their gun missing so it doesn’t fall into the hands of criminals,†she said. â€"There’s a low statistic of people [with registered guns] who do crimes. It’s usually stolen guns that fall into the wrong hands.â€
Saez said she takes two positions on the issue. â€"I’m stuck in the middle--I respect the NRA [National Rifle Association] in the sense that I don’t always agree with them, but anyone who sticks up for the second amendment that we have the right to bear arms,†she said. â€"But they don’t want to do background checks and gun show checks. There’s a limit, I feel, that they can work something out for the bigger magazines, like maybe only have them at hunting ranges.â€
She also takes several stances on mental health, affirming that mental health physicians have a responsibility to report imminent behavior.
â€"[Patients] go into counseling and they end up saying ‘I’m going to kill her;’ they’re not reporting things that become future crimes,†she said. â€"They need to make it easier for police officers to get the 72-hour restraining order for them to get hospitalized.â€
Saez also fights on mental health patients’ behalf for funding for their proper care.
â€"It concerns me, especially with budget talks cutting funding, that social services will take the first hit,†she said. If that happens, â€"in the future you’re going to see the tragedy. If [mental health patients] don’t get the help they need, that’s going to lead them to more despair and more depression.â€
Saez believes in finding a middle ground solution whenever possible, which is why she always waits until she hears all arguments before testifying.
â€"If it was as simple as saying ‘Oh, this is the second amendment’ or ‘Let’s fight the NRA, they’re the big bad wolf,’ it’s not,†she said. â€"It’s not just funding, it’s not just mental health; it’s a community banding together and caring about each other.â€