Chip Roy Introduces New Bill to Protect Military Veterans' 2nd Amendment Rights
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is introducing legislation to protect military veterans’ Second Amendment rights from being stripped away by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The new bill, the Defending Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights Act, will “prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting certain information to the Department of Justice for use by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.”
The Act states:
“The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not transmit to any entity in the Department of Justice, for use by the national instant criminal background check system established under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, personally identifiable information on veterans and other beneficiaries, solely on the basis of a determination by the Secretary under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, that a person has a service-connected disability.”
The bill aims to end the decades-long threat of veterans losing their Second Amendment rights, particularly due to bureaucratic decisions within the VA.
Earlier this year, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) pushed to prevent “unelected bureaucrats” from targeting the gun rights of military veterans who rely on a fiduciary to help manage their finances.
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Crane noted that Democrats who support allowing bureaucrats to strip away veterans’ gun rights argue that it is a measure to reduce suicide among veterans.
However, Crane rejected this notion.
“When it comes to suicide, a lot of these individuals, a lot of veterans… who are struggling with PTSD and have some of these issues, one of [their] biggest issues is fear and trauma because [they] thought [they] might lose [their] life in battle against other people with guns,” he said.
Crane argued that taking away veterans’ firearms only increases their sense of defenselessness, fueling the very suicides that Democrats claim they are trying to prevent.
Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy defended the bill, stating:
“Those who put their lives on the line for our nation should not have to worry about having their fundamental liberties wrongly stripped from them when they seek the medical care or benefits they have earned.
Unfortunately, this happens far too often. I am proud to stand up and defend the constitutional Second Amendment rights of our veterans.”
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