{"id":100521,"date":"2024-03-05T21:19:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T03:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=100521"},"modified":"2024-03-05T21:19:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T03:19:44","slug":"100521","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=100521","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

New VA Funding Bill Includes Provision To Protect Veterans\u2019 Second Amendment Rights<\/a><\/p>\n

Congress\u2019 funding deal unveiled Sunday night overturns a longstanding \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d policy that Republican opponents said could restrict veterans\u2019 Second Amendment rights.<\/p>\n

The provision included in the\u00a0Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act<\/a> for fiscal year 2024 bans the Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs (VA) from submitting veterans\u2019 names to the FBI\u2019s National Instant Criminal Background Check without a judge\u2019s consent. House Republicans argue without the provision, veterans who need help with their finances but do not pose a threat could be stripped of their Second Amendment rights to own firearms.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor far too long, the men and women who have fought for all American\u2019s constitutional rights were wrongfully treated differently when it came to their own rights,\u201d Republican Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee who championed the provision,\u00a0said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cNo veteran should lose their constitutional right to bear arms simply because they need help managing their finances, and if they are a danger to themselves or others, a judge should make that decision \u2013 not a VA bureaucrat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under existing policy and a law that goes back to 1993, veterans who demonstrate an inability to manage their finances or benefits on their own are automatically reported to the NICS list without their informed consent, according to Bost. The veteran would be banned from purchasing firearms even without any judgment in a court of law that the person could be a harm to themselves or others.<\/p>\n

Legislation to end the \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d practice is \u201clong overdue,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Democratic lawmakers opposed the move on the grounds it increases hurdles federal workers must clear to report potential threats,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Military Times.<\/p>\n

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In 2022, roughly 8,000 veterans were reported to the NICS primarily for reasons relating to financial troubles and not connected to criminal activity or mental health issues, Bost said, according to Military Times.<\/p>\n

The act also includes $20.3 billion for the VA\u2019s Toxic Exposures Fund required to cover costs associated with expanded benefits mandated by the 2022 PACT Act. It covers compensation for injuries veterans sustained from burn pit smoke, chemical contamination and other toxins while serving in the military.<\/p>\n

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