The Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday that Republican Representatives Liz Cheney (Wyoming) and Mike Bost (Illinois) have introduced the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, which would require that veterans would have to be legally determined to be a threat to themselves or others before having their Second Amendment rights revoked.
The bill could impact the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have had their gun rights taken despite never committing a crime or being legally declared a threat to themselves or others. It would also further clarify what level of scrutiny is required before infringing upon a core constitutional right.
The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) and Rep. Mike Bost (R., Ill.), would restrict when the Veterans Administration can take away veterans’ right to buy or own a gun.In a joint statement, Cheney and Bost reaffirmed their commitment to protecting veterans’ constitutional rights.
“No one, especially those who risked their lives defending 
our nation, should have their constitutional rights infringed,” Cheney said. “The legislation that Ranking Member Bost and I introduced today will ensure that the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding veterans are not hindered by government red tape, and will prevent unelected bureaucrats from denying veterans of their ability to purchase or own a firearm.”
Currently, the Veterans Administration adds any veterans
or beneficiaries to the federal background check system whenever they have a fiduciary appointed to manage their finances. That makes the veteran a prohibited person and effectively bans him or her from gun ownership. The arrangement leaves veterans in a unique position in which their gun rights can be taken away by government employees without a determination from a judge or magistrate.
Rep. Bost called the current situation “unacceptable” and “a shameful 
practice that violates what our country stands for and keeps veterans from the benefits they’ve earned. That is unacceptable and Chairwoman Cheney and I won’t stand for it,” Bost wrote. “Veterans fought to defend our constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment right to own a firearm,” he said. “No government bureaucrat should be able to strip them of that right.”
A similar bill passed the House with bipartisan support in 2017 but was never brought to a vote in the Senate.
For the past decade, the Supreme Court has defended the individual right to keep and bear arms. The GOP, in contrast, has mainly paid lip-service to the cause.
Veterans, who have sacrificed so much for our country, should not have their rights removed for arbitrary reasons. Furthermore, this bill indicates the GOP might truly be ready to fight for gun rights.
With an administration deeply hostile to gun rights now in power, and the Democrats having control of Congress, it is time for the GOP to act as a firm barrier — not a filter — to gun control.
What say you Def-Con News readers? Many of you are veterans. Do you 
know of anyone who may be aided by the passage of this bill into law? This is a start, but in order for this bill to pass it must go through a battle against Democrat leadership in Congress. Finally though, this is an opportunity for Republicans to reaffirm that Americans won’t roll over and accept unconstitutional, progressive policy goals.
