Eli Crane's Veterans' 2nd Amendment Protection Act Passes House

Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) is celebrating the House passage of his Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.

In February, the Trump Administration addressed a long-running issue in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), wherein veterans were being unfairly added to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) if they had a VA fiduciary, which legally considers them mentally defective, denying them the right to carry firearms.

The rule has been in place since the Clinton Administration, causing many veterans to hesitate when seeking post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment through the VA in fear of their right to carry being revoked.

As a result, the Trump Administration reversed the rule, affirming the right of veterans with a VA fiduciary to carry and removing those previously placed in the NICS system.

However, Rep. Crane is seeking to prevent a future administration from reversing the Trump White House's decision and thus to have it codified into law via the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.

"If the federal government is willing to strip the God‑given, unalienable rights of those who served in uniform, there is no telling where they will draw the line," said Rep. Crane in a press release. "H.R.1041 codifies the termination of this un‑American practice and prevents future administrations from unilaterally reversing this wise decision. I'm grateful to President Trump for protecting the rights of our nation's heroes, and I appreciate Chairman Bost for adopting my language into his bill. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly pass these necessary reforms."

Last week, the Arizona congressman questioned Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Director Robert Cekada on his commitment to upholding citizens' Second Amendment rights in a House Oversight Committee hearing.

"Do you find it notable that our Founding Fathers put the Second Amendment right after the First?" Rep. Crane questioned. "Why do you believe that our founders wanted to give the citizens the right to defend themselves?"