{"id":619037,"date":"2024-05-02T01:01:16","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T22:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gun-control-groups-call-on-congress-to-undo-background-check-change-for-veterans\/"},"modified":"2024-05-02T01:01:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T22:01:16","slug":"gun-control-groups-call-on-congress-to-undo-background-check-change-for-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gun-control-groups-call-on-congress-to-undo-background-check-change-for-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"#Gun control groups call on Congress to undo background check change for veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/64b35ca267a998.26206139-e1699307582993.jpeg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Congress has created an \u201cenormous threat to the safety and well being of veterans\u201d by blocking Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports of mental incompetency from entering the federal background check system, gun reform groups said in a letter to lawmakers this week.<\/p>\n<p>The provision in question was part of the $1.2 trillion budget bill passed by the House and Senate last month. Originally introduced as a separate bill by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), the measure is meant to limit the ability of the VA to stop veterans from purchasing guns. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords, March for Life and 45 other gun reform groups wrote to lead <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriators in the House and Senate on Tuesday urging them to drop the provision \u2014 Section 413 \u2014 in their next appropriations bill. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLimiting access to guns for veterans and other VA beneficiaries who may be in crisis by reporting them to the background check system is a critical step to help keep them safe,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis provision is incredibly harmful: Section 413 is an enormous threat to the safety<br \/>and well-being of veterans and their beneficiaries who are at a heightened risk of harm to<br \/>themselves or others; it undermines the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA\u2019s) ability to prevent<br \/>these individuals from accessing firearms; and it weakens the background check system, one of<br \/>the most important tools we have to prevent gun violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kennedy.senate.gov\/public\/2024\/3\/kennedy-secures-second-amendment-win-for-veterans\">press releases from Kennedy\u2019s office<\/a>, his amendment is intended prevent \u201cVeterans Affairs bureaucrats\u201d from reporting \u201cwhenever a fiduciary is appointed to help that veteran manage his or her VA benefits\u201d to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).<\/p>\n<p>However, the Brady Center said the appointment of a fiduciary was part of a larger process meant to protect veterans facing a mental health crisis. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs far as I can tell, Senator Kennedy believes that the appointment of a fiduciary is what puts people into the NICS system, and Congress was led to believe the same\u201d Mark Collins, director of federal policy at Brady, said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe step that ends up making a veteran prohibited [from owning a firearm] happens before that. Assignment of a fiduciary is the consequence of being found mentally incompetent by the VA,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t someone just stepping in to help a veteran handle their benefits or finances,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The gun reform groups wrote that Congress has created, perhaps unintentionally, a \u201cvery dangerous\u201d situation, especially for a veteran population \u201cdisproportionately impacted by the suicide crisis.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The groups said the law effectively sets a trap for these vulnerable veterans by allowing them to pass a background check, but still being prohibited from owning a gun due to the VA ruling of their mental incompetence.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re allowing veterans who are prohibited from possessing a weapon by law to buy guns,\u201d Collins said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf for some reason they were to encounter law enforcement, they could be found in unlawful possession of a firearm and charged,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Under the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/senate-bill\/2938\/text\">Bipartisan Safer Communities Act<\/a> of 2022, the maximum penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm rose from 10 to 15 years in prison. <\/p>\n<p>The groups point out that veterans face a particularly severe suicide crisis, with more than 6,500 veterans dying by suicide each year, with 70 percent involving firearms, compared to 48 percent of suicides among the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> population. <\/p>\n<p>The Hill has reached out to the offices of Kennedy \u2014 as well as the appropriators who received the letter, Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine); and Reps. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) \u2014 for comment.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>In a statement to The Hill, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes confirmed the department has ceased reporting to NICS. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cVA previously reported to NICS in situations when the Veterans Benefits Administration determined \u2013 based on clear and convincing evidence or a court order \u2013 that a VA beneficiary was unable to manage their financial affairs,\u201d Hayes said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 now restricts VA from using appropriated funds to report a beneficiary unless there is an order or finding from a judicial authority that the beneficiary is a danger to themselves or others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2024 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/4635865-gun-control-groups-congress-background-check-veterans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress has created an \u201cenormous threat to the safety and well being of veterans\u201d by blocking Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports of mental incompetency from entering the federal background check system, gun reform groups said in a letter to lawmakers this week. The provision in question was part of the $1.2 trillion budget bill&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":619038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/64b35ca267a998.26206139-e1699307582993.jpeg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[97898,137410,150024],"class_list":["post-619037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-background-checks","tag-john-kennedy","tag-veteran-suicides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}