Bloomberg: Vote to Repeal Social Security Gun Ban Allows ‘Guns for the Mentally Incompetent’

In the latest example of fake news coming from the mainstream media or those favorable to it, Bloomberg is reporting that House Republicans’ vote to repeal the Social Security gun ban is equivalent to a vote for “guns for the mentally incompetent.”

The House passed H.J. Res. 40 on Thursday by a vote of 253-180. The goal is the repeal of an Obama administration gun ban aimed at Social Security beneficiaries who require help with their finances.

But Bloomberg is reporting that the House’s action will “rescind a rule on gun background checks” if also passed by the Senate and signed by President Trump. This claim is a perfect example of fake news.

Background checks in the United States will not be changed in the slightest by the repeal of Obama’s Social Security gun ban. Rather, the repeal will guarantee that the Due Process rights of Social Security recipients are not circumvented and their Second Amendment rights not sacrificed on the altar of gun control.

It is also interesting to note the way Bloomberg reports that the Social Security gun ban targets beneficiaries who need help with their finances. Instead of using plain language, Bloomberg says, “The rule requires the Social Security Administration to submit records to the gun background check system for an estimated 75,000 beneficiaries annually who, due to mental illness, cannot work at all and require a representative to manage their Social Security benefits.”

This misconstrues two important points. 1.  The ban is not static; it includes a mechanism by which Social Security Administration (SSA) can investigate beneficiaries on the basis of their need for help with finances and find them unfit for gun ownership. 2. The estimate of “75,000 beneficiaries” is low, both because the ban is not static and because there are over “4.2 million” beneficiaries who require some degree of help with their finances. In sum, the ban targets a group of Americans that would steadily increase in size over time.

One thing is sure, repealing such a ban will not impact current background checks in any way.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.