Senate Passes Measure Protecting Veterans' 2A Rights from VA Overreach
The Senate passed Sen. John Kennedy's amendment protecting veterans' Second Amendment rights from Department of Veteran Affairs overreach.
www.breitbart.com
On Wednesday, the Senate passed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-LA) amendment protecting military veterans’ Second Amendment rights from Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) overreach.
During the end of Barack Obama’s second term as President, Breitbart News pointed to a Los Angeles Times report showing veterans’ concern over losing their 2A rights if they needed help managing their money.
According to the Times, “A strategy used by the Department of Veterans Affairs” meant that veterans “declared incompetent to manage pension or disability payments and assigned a fiduciary” were reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS). The report to NICS meant they could not longer buy a firearm.
On July 25, 2019, Breitbart News reported that Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) were pushing legislation to prevent the VA from erasing veterans’ 2A rights.
Roe said:
But various sources indicate Biden’s VA has continued reporting veterans to NICS.
For example, Fox News noted the policy still exists. “Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports a veteran’s name to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System when they seek help managing their finances in a conservatorship,” according to the report.
VA bureaucrats should NOT be unilaterally disarming veterans!
Thank you to @SenJohnKennedy for your leadership on this issue in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/cG92ool29T
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) October 25, 2023
National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Mark Olivia spoke to Breitbart News about the issue, saying, “How’s this? It is unconscionable that the very agency that is charged with caring for the needs of these patriots continues to work against their interests and strip them of their Constitutional rights, simply because they need assistance managing their financial affairs. This practice isn’t tolerated for the rest of America but the Biden administration perpetuates this. It makes veterans distrustful of the organization that is meant to care for their health, including those who need mental health support.”
Kennedy put forth an amendment to stop the VA from continuing to target veterans’ 2A rights and it passed 53 to 45 on Wednesday.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) argued against the amendment, claiming it will allow “mentally incompetent” veterans to acquire guns.
