LaMalfa Votes to Protect 2nd Amendment Rights for Veterans
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1181, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. Under current law, if a veteran or beneficiary is appointed a fiduciary from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), they are labeled as incompetent and automatically sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Once in the system, they are prohibited from legally purchasing or owning a firearm. This bill violates due process and grants the authority determine whether a beneficiary can be removed from the list in the hands of VA bureaucrats. H.R. 1181 prohibits the VA from automatically submitting names to the NICS without a magistrate or judicial authority ruling that the beneficiary is unfit to possess or purchase a firearm.
LaMalfa said: "Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our Constitutional rights. Limiting or taking away these rights without due process is simply unacceptable. Under current practice, law-abiding citizens can have their rights infringed upon just because they need help managing their finances. That is wrong. Basic Constitutional freedoms, including those protected under the Second Amendment, should apply to all Americans. This is a commonsense bill to ensure that veterans are not prohibited from buying a gun without due process – and I was happy to support it."
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.