Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy will introduce legislation Wednesday to ban the Department of Veteran Affairs from sending information to the Department of Justice regarding veterans with a service-connected disability seeking to purchase a firearm.
The “Defending Veterans Second Amendment Rights Act” bans the Secretary of Veteran Affairs from sending information about veteran beneficiaries to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System only because that person has a service-connected disability, according to the Daily Caller.
The bill, co-sponsored by Republican Illinois Rep. Michael Bost, argues that no veteran should lose their right to bear arms because they sought the care they needed after serving to protect this country.
“No veteran should fear losing their God-given right to self-defense simply because they sought the care they have earned in the process of defending our republic,” Roy said. “The heroes who put their lives on the line for us deserve better than that, especially when Washington Democrats are working overtime to make our country less safe by hamstringing law enforcement and empowering cartels and foreign criminals with reckless open border policies.”
“I am proud to take a stand for our veterans and their Second Amendment rights by introducing this legislation,” he added.
Similarly, in October of 2020, Roy urged President Trump to issue an executive order to prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from “sending information on VA beneficiaries to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, unless a judicial authority has determined they are a danger to themselves or others.”
Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of Representatives are leading an effort on two gun reform measures that would expand the background check system and give law enforcement officers more time to process background checks.
The bills are expected to pass the House and move to the Senate, where there is a large divide on gun reform. Once the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is signed, many expect gun reform to be center-stage.
