Defense Bill Update

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   Sarra Garrettposted 11 years ago

   All Veterans who can not financially take care of themselves will not be allowed to purchase or own any firearm. They will be disarmed.  Do you think this is right?  What veteran doesn't own a firearm or two or three.

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   1. 72

      Quilligrapherposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Sarra.
      
      The phraseology in the OP statement tends to misrepresent and over simplify this issue. The bill does NOT attempt to take firearms away from vets who missed a few car payments or are behind on their rent. It addresses a growing number of vets whose mental conditions have deteriorated to the point that they are unable to manage their own financial affairs. These are cases where the government has to designate a third party to handle the vet’s assets including GI pensions and benefits.
      
      “At issue is whether a veteran who has been found unable to handle his or her financial affairs should have the right to own a gun. The Department of Veterans Affairs frequently assigns someone else, often a family member, to handle a veteran's finances, including his or her government pension and benefits. This triggers a report to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that the veteran is "incapacitated." Under the law, any such person, veteran or not, is barred from buying or owning guns.”
      
      Traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder “affects each individual uniquely, which the VA obviously recognizes. Of the 127,000 veterans whom the VA has placed in the mentally "incapacitated" category since 1998, only 185 have appealed to get their names taken off the NICS registry. That seems to indicate the current approach works just fine as it is. The vast majority of veterans with TBI and PTSD have not been judged incapacitated and those that have are afforded an avenue by which to prove they were misjudged. Given the high rate of suicide among veterans and the potential for other tragedies when guns are close at hand for people who have been ruled unable to handle their own affairs, the law as it now stands ought to be considered a reasonable dose of preventive medicine.” {1}
      
      As noted, less than 2 out of every 1000 veterans considered “incapacitated” since 1998 have chosen to use the appeal mechanism already in place. The bill seems to be a reasonable effort to increase the distance between firearms and individuals known to be emotionally distressed.   
      
      A very timely thread, Sarra. Thanks for posting.
      
      {1} http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/0 … gun-rights

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2. 56

   Dame Scribeposted 11 years ago

   Holay crap that's the silliest policy I ever heard of. Sounds like somebody in gov't needs their head examined or least take it out of their azz

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