In a move demonstrating their disregard for the Second Amendment, over 140 House Democrats recently demanded that the ability to prevent veterans deemed to be mentally ill from purchasing or owning guns under certain circumstances be added to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
Breitbart News reported that for years, the VA has reported veterans to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for issues dealing with mental health. These issues require using a fiduciary to manage a person’s VA benefits.
In October 2023, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced an amendment in the Senate to roll back the gun ban in the VA, initially enacted under the Clinton administration.
After his amendment was adopted, the Louisiana congressman said, “Unelected bureaucrats shouldn’t be able to strip veterans of their Second Amendment rights unilaterally. The Senate did the right thing for veterans and all freedom-loving Americans by passing my amendment today.”
In the House, meanwhile, Democrats decried the adoption of Kennedy’s bill, demanding that the anti-gun measure be reinstituted into the appropriations bill.
🚨BREAKING🚨
140+ House Democrats demand @DeptVetAffairs begin using state gun confiscation laws to disarm veterans in response to the law ending the Clinton-era Veteran Gun Ban that GOA forced Biden to sign last weekend.
See the full letter here.⤵️https://t.co/yLEY85LFjJ pic.twitter.com/WEv1wYSfE4
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) March 15, 2024
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) sent a letter on behalf of House Democrats, criticizing Kennedy’s amendment for rolling back years of “common-sense precedent and practice.”
“The Kennedy Amendment rolls back 30 years of common-sense precedent and practice which ensures that veterans who are deemed to be ‘mentally incompetent’ are added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS),” the letter states.
“The current process used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make a competency determination as required by law, includes an opportunity for appeals, helps ensure that veterans who are a danger to themselves or others are flagged in the background check system if they try to purchase a firearm,” it adds.
In the letter, Thompson and fellow Democrats argued that the gun ban is used to “protect veterans” and urged the VA to use red flag laws in multiple states to report veterans to the NICS.
Thompson is the chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
Kennedy’s amendment changed a VA policy that had been in place since 1993. Under the law, the department would report veterans unable to manage their finances and benefits to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The agency’s NICS system would determine whether a veteran is deemed “mentally incompetent” by the VA. If so, they are prohibited from purchasing weapons.
