Senate Passes Bill Protecting Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights From Veteran Administration Tyranny
Jose Nino
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On October 25, 2023, the United States Senate passed Louisiana Senator John Kennedy’s amendment protecting military veterans’ gun rights from potential Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) infringements.
Per the New York Times, “A strategy used by the Department of Veterans Affairs” stipulated that veterans “declared incompetent to manage pension or disability payments and assigned a fiduciary” had their information flagged to the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS). By having their information reported to NICS meant they could no longer purchase a gun.
A Fox News report highlighted that the policy is still in effect: “Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports a veteran’s name to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System when they seek help managing their finances in a conservatorship,” per the report.
Kennedy ended up introducing her amendment to halt the VA’s constant infringement of veterans’ gun rights. The amendment eventually passed by a 53 to 45 vote on October 25.
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy was the sole opponent of the amendment. He argued that it would allow “mentally incompetent” veterans to obtain firearms.
It’s truly a shame that the US government treats the very individuals it sends to conflict in far off lands like total garbage by not trusting them to exercise their Second Amendment rights. For individuals who make such sacrifices for the country, they deserve better treatment.
To be sure, there are some mentally scarred individuals in the military who have accumulated many traumatic experiences in combat. That said, these individuals should receive proper treatment instead of being treated like potential criminals.
Sadly, this type of behavior is typical of a state that is fundamentally hostile towards its citizens. Thankfully, the Senate did the right think by voting for Kennedy’s amendment. Our veterans simply deserve better.
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