U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials testified during a Wednesday House hearing that the department would not comply with proposed legislation barring it from sending certain information about U.S. military veterans to the federal government’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
For years, the VA’s policy has been to notify the NICS system if a veteran or beneficiary relies on a fiduciary to manage their benefits and financial affairs. The VA reasons that reliance on a fiduciary indicates a beneficiary is mentally incompetent. Federal law states firearms dealers receive a “deny message” if a NICS check for a potential buyer determines the buyer has been adjudicated as a mental defective.
Congressional Republicans have introduced several bills to block the VA from reporting to NICS when a veteran relies on the assistance of a fiduciary, out of concern those veterans could be barred access to firearms as a result.
In May, the Republican-led House Veterans Affairs Committee advanced a bill titled the “Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act,” to reverse this VA policy on NICS reporting. The bill states the VA may only report a veteran or VA beneficiary to NICS after a judicial authority determines that person is a danger to themselves or others.
But at a July 10 House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, VA Deputy Undersecretary Glenn Powers testified that the department opposes the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act. Powers insisted the VA already provides a sufficient method for beneficiaries who have been reported to NICS to “petition for relief.”
“VA did not err in reporting, and if passed into law VA could not comply,” Powers said.
— FreeBase News in VA Officials Tell Lawmakers They Won’t Comply With Proposed Laws to Preserve Veterans Gun Rights
I have no problem with this considering how many lie about having PTSD and other ills to get disability pay. Legislative special treatment should stop at Veterans preference in job hiring.
X Marks the Spot, You say that you have no Problem with this Issue considering how many Veterans Lie about PTSD. Are you a Veteran? People that join that Military are not regular people for the most part because we are wired different since we run toward GUNFIRE when everyone else RUNSAWAY from it! That being said, while on Active Duty most Service Members work an average of 14-18 hours per day and sometimes more. My personal record is 42 hours straight of launching and recovering aircraft. That was accomplished thanks to lots of Caffeine and a constant supply of Protein from MRE that we had on the Flight Line one of the Tow Tractors. We do the work because we love this Country and if needed we would SACRAFICE ourselves for it! The amount of work and conditions the work is done in would be ILLEGAL under OSHA LAW but we still do it because it has to be done and it is not right for some paper pushing administrator to put so many obstacles in the way for a Veteran to get what is due to them for their SACRAFACES while on Active Duty!
The 4473 form question 21G asks:
Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?
If a Veteran has not been Adjudicated by a Judge in a Court of Law then the VA has NO RIGHT to give that Information and it just another way for the Left to Restrict the Second Amendment to Veterans. While Military Service members are on Active Duty we are Restricted from many of our US Constitutional Rights and live under a totally different set of rules that Civilians have NO Idea about. I Proudly Served in the US NAVY for 7 years (2002-2009) until a Service Connected accident put me in a wheelchair and then I had an 8 years of fighting with the VA to get the majority of my benefits and that was with a lawyer that took 30% of the owed backpay. My VA fight was caused thanks to an Order Given by the 44th POTUS and Leftwing leaning Medical Officers that decided to take out Extremely Important Medical Record Pages OUT of Medical Records just before Separation so Veterans like myself would not have the proper documentation when it was time for the intake VA Physical where I was told to sit down and shut up because the Doctor had 3 hours worth physical to do but only had 45 minutes to do in because he had a to go to lunch and when I asked to see another doctor I was told he was it and the next available appointment was 8 months down the line. I was one of over 25,000 Military Service Members that were separated from July 1 to December 31, 2009 that were SCREWED OVER by both DOD and VA because the left wanted to save money. If I had not found a US Air Force Tech Sargent at an Air Force hospital that was nice enough to go into the Archive System and download and Print my Entire Medical Record I would still be fighting the VA. I also have to Thank President Trump for helping CLEAN UP allot of the B.S. Red Tape that was put in place by his predecessor.
The VA System is setup in a way so that the Veteran will be DEAD by the time all the RED TAPE is done because it saves the Agency MONEY so the Managers and Administrators can get large Bonuses when their Quarterly and Annual Veteran Benefits releases are LOW! Just because a Veteran Decided to Sign a Contract to Protect and Defend this Country does not mean that we should get SCREWED OVER and have NO RIGHTS.
Yes, there are some Veterans that are not 100% truthful about their injuries, I see it all the time in the parking lot at the VA Hospital with guys that supposedly cannot walk but they are stepping out a Low to the Ground Sports Car put together their own wheelchair then roll themselves into the hospital and that is not right but neither is having rights taken away by an Agency without a Court Hearing.
Oh my god, I stopped reading after that wired different baloney. Get over yourself, you joined for the same reason everyone else did; free college, lying to get benefits, and free Applebee’s once a year.
I’m sure you practice that run towards gunfire crap in the mirror so you can try to look like a big man when someone kicks that pedestal out from under you.
Perhaps Congress should reduce the pay of all VA administrators by twenty percent and make them ineligible for employment at any other federal agencies until they come into compliance.
Better idea –
Publish VA Deputy Undersecretary Glenn Powers ‘s home address, telephone number, etc.
Let him hear from the American people in a clear, easily-understood language.
AKA, Hold him personally accountable…
“Powers insisted the VA already provides a sufficient method for beneficiaries who have been reported to NICS to “petition for relief.” I surmise this is total BS. Once “reported”, does NICS allow for an individual to “delisted” or “cleared”? A case of another Federal agency doing what they do.
provides a sufficient method
All this means is there’s a form you can fill out.
Kinda like “redress of grievances.” Petition all you want. Doesn’t mean anybody gives a shit.
Take away their access to NICS.
Asking for a fiduciary to help you manage your money doesn’t mean you are mentally ill, it means you are trusting a proffesional to help make you more money. Why would the VA consider this makes you mentally ill in the first place? I thought the VA was to help veterans, not screw them.
LOL good joke.
Just another federal agency that ignores federal law. Move along…nothing to see here.
What about blacks who can’t manage to keep a job or pay the rent? By this standard, they should have their rights revoked.
Crawl back to stormfront or whatever other neonazi circle jerk you came from. Your racist views are extreme and outside the mainstream of US gunowners.
“Crawl back to stormfront or whatever other neonazi circle jerk you came from. Your racist views are extreme and outside the mainstream of US gunowners.”
Actually…..no. The 1st amendment says nothing about expressing personal and/or political views, theories, preferences, prejudices being regulated by government if, as, and when someone else’s sensitivities are offended. There is no room here for people who believe the !st should prohibit/abolish speech that insults, or hurts feelings. Asking about details of a two-tiered justice/legal/political system is ipse dixit infringing on free speech.
We are all defenders of the First Amendment, until it comes to words we don’t like.
Heat, kitchen, that sort of thing.
Pretty much, if it offends that sucks but can you refute it? If not may be worth considering why. For better or worse I learn a lot on shit I don’t agree with. Also was that actually an attempt on consensus building/cracking in a limited visibility forum without a vote option?
“Pretty much, if it offends that sucks but can you refute it?”
Isn’t it irrelevant to refute someone’s contention? “Free Speech” allows for refuting a statement, but is one required to refute a statement?
If not may be worth considering why.
Indeed. However…..considering the “why” of a statement is quite beyond the intellect of way too many voters (hard work, doanchaknow).
“For better or worse I learn a lot on shit I don’t agree with.”
As we all should.
“Also was that actually an attempt on consensus building/….”
Not at all. An attempt to get people to abandon any notion that stats and data can persuade the anti-gun drones to magnanimously end their desire to make us all serfs and vassals.
That gave me a good laugh.
Big(smile)
Just the VA treating vets like they are still .gov property and can control everything they do.
Being in the military we have learned to deal with the BS. What gets my goat is that the director stated he will refuse to comply with the law if passed. If that does not strike you as being non patriotic then we lost America already.
“What gets my goat is that the director stated he will refuse to comply with the law if passed. If that does not strike you as being non patriotic then we lost America already.”
Many consider defying the law as patriotic.
1773 comes to mind.
Then when the first info transfer to nics happens after this becomes law the director should be arrested. Too bad it won’t even pass the senate.