| On Tuesday, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs passed two pieces of legislation introduced by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), H.R. 9053 Veterans Gun Rights Restoration Act of 2024 and H.R. 9054 Safeguarding Veterans 2nd Amendment Rights Act of 2024. The Veterans Gun Rights Restoration Act of 2024 nullifies all previous submissions of veterans’ data from the VA to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and declares any prior transfer of such information unlawful. The VA’s Fiduciary Rule, intended to aid veterans in managing their finances, labels them as “mental defectives” under federal law. This has led to the unconstitutional disarmament of countless veterans by unelected bureaucrats. The bill would restore the Second Amendment rights of more than 260,000 veterans whose rights have been unconstitutionally infringed. The Safeguarding Veterans 2nd Amendment Rights Act of 2024 would prohibit officers or employees of the VA, in the course of their duties, from initiating, participating in, or advocating for the removal of a firearm in any proceedings relating to a state gun confiscation law. The VA has frequently been complicit in disarming veterans, particularly through the practice of submitting their data to the FBI’s NICS system following the appointment of a fiduciary. Veterans have lost trust in the VA, deterring them from seeking care. This legislation would safeguard veterans’ constitutional rights by ensuring they are not subjected to unjust disarmament when seeking assistance from the VA. “It’s unacceptable that the constitutional rights of more than a quarter million of our nation’s heroes have been blatantly trampled on at the whim of unelected bureaucrats. I’m very grateful that my bills, which would help remedy the un-American assault on the rights of those who served, is advancing through the legislative process,” said Rep. Crane. |
July 25, 2024