The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is dedicated to ensuring that America’s veterans get the care and services they deserve.  As Ranking Member, my priority is providing veterans with the benefits they have earned with their service to our country. 

CURRENT COMMITTEE ACTIVITY

Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights

Under current practice, veterans who have a fiduciary appointed to act on their behalf are deemed “mentally defective” and are reported to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a system which prevents individuals from purchasing firearms in the United States.   Many veterans who have come to VA for help but who are determined to be unable to manage their own financial affairs are labeled as “mentally defective.”  On that basis alone, their names are placed on the FBI’s NICS list, consequently denying them their Second Amendment rights.

That is why I, along with 14 other Senators, introduced legislation that would end the arbitrary process through which the government strips veterans and other VA beneficiaries of their Second Amendment rights.   The bill protects the rights of veterans and their families by ensuring that only a judicial official can determine which names are appropriate to refer to the FBI database.   Taking away a Constitutional right is a serious action and veterans should be afforded due process under the law.   Our veterans took an oath to uphold the Constitution and they deserve to enjoy the rights they fought so hard to protect.   I am pleased that this legislation has wide support including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.