Stefanik co-sponsors bill to protect Second Amendment rights of veterans

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is an original co-sponsor of legislation that supporters say would protect the Second Amendment rights of veterans.

HR 705, which Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., introduced Feb. 11, would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from sharing information with the Department of Justice criminal background check system.

Under the VA interpretation of current law, if the VA appoints a fiduciary to help a veteran or beneficiary manage benefits, the VA is required to send the name of the veteran to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, according to a House Veterans Affairs Committee explanation of the legislation.

“As a result, they may be prohibited from legally purchasing or owning a firearm, despite there being no evidence that those who need a fiduciary are more prone to violence than others.”

The text of the legislation was not yet available, as of Tuesday.

The legislation had 55 co-sponsors, all Republicans, as of Tuesday.

“No VA bureaucrat should be able to instantly strip a veteran of their Second Amendment rights simply because they need help managing their benefits,” said Bost, the principle sponsor, in a news release. “This ludicrous policy is stopping veterans from going to VA for the care they need, and it must end now.”