The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step toward restoring due process for America’s veterans by passing the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3944) by a vote of 218–206 last week.
Included in this appropriations package is language from the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 1041), introduced by House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), a measure long supported by gun rights organizations and veterans advocates alike.
Ending Bureaucratic Gun Bans Against Veterans
For years, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has quietly referred the names of veterans to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) simply for having a fiduciary appointed to manage their finances.
These individuals were not adjudicated mentally ill and not found dangerous by a court. Yet they were stripped of their Second Amendment rights without due process.
The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act aims to end this unconstitutional practice by ensuring that only a court—not a federal agency—can determine whether a veteran is disqualified from owning firearms.
Texas Gun Rights: A Consistent Voice for Due Process
Texas Gun Rights (TXGR) strongly supports the inclusion of the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act and views it as a national extension of the organization’s successful push to ban red flag gun confiscation laws in Texas via Senate Bill 1362, which was recently signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.
“Veterans have bled and sacrificed for our Constitution, and the idea that the government would strip them of their Second Amendment rights without even a court hearing is both outrageous and un-American,” said Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights.
“That’s why we pushed so hard for Texas Senate Bill 1362—banning red flag gun confiscation laws here in Texas—and why we’re urging the Senate to immediately pass the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act.”
A Broad Coalition… and an Unfinished Fight
The legislation has received support from gun rights groups, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and veterans’ organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and The American Legion.
Now that the House has passed the appropriations bill containing the measure, attention turns to the U.S. Senate.
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs must include the same provision in its version of the VA appropriations package.
If it survives reconciliation between chambers, it could reach President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.
“This bill should already be law,” said McNutt. “Every day the Senate delays is another day our veterans are denied their rights. We urge every Texan—and every patriot across the country—to contact their Senators and demand they pass this bill without compromise.”
