Bipartisan House Bill Would Protect Veteran’s 2nd Amendment Rights

U.S. Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) introduced legislation last week prohibiting the Veterans Administration from interfering with a veteran’s Second Amendment rights because that vet needs help managing finances.

The Reps. are fighting against a scenario very similar to the one witnessed with Barack Obama’s Social Security gun ban. That ban, which was repealed by President Trump on February 28, 2017, could strip away the Second Amendment rights of Social Security beneficiaries without due process if they were using a third party to help with finances.

The Social Security gun ban was designed in such a way that beneficiaries needing financial help would draw scrutiny, leading to an investigation which could have them reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as prohibited on gun purchases. Veterans face the same scrutiny if it is discovered they need help with their VA benefits, and that scrutiny can lead to being reported to the NICS without due process as well.

Reps. Roe and Peterson are pushing to change this with H.R. 3826.

Roe said:

Every day, servicemen and women fight to defend the rights endowed in our constitution. But, as veterans, those same men and women can be deprived of one of those rights by a government bureaucrat without due process. Even violent criminals are treated better than that. This is a disgrace and the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act would put a stop to it. By prohibiting VA from sending information to the FBI about veterans or their family members without a judicial ruling stating that they are a danger to themselves or others, this bill would ensure that the veterans who fought for our rights are guaranteed their own.

Peterson added, “It is beyond me why bureaucrats are going after veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Just because a veteran has someone manage their VA benefits, shouldn’t disqualify them from owning a firearm. This bill will ensure that veterans’ rights are protected by due process.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.