Fairfax, Va.— The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) announced its support today for the Social Security Beneficiary 2nd Amendment Rights Protection Act. Sponsored by Congressman Sam Johnson (TX-3), the legislation would stop the Obama Administration from perpetrating the largest gun grab in American history by denying millions of Social Security recipients their Second Amendment rights without due process.
“People shouldn’t be forced to choose between their Social Security benefits and their constitutional right to self-protection,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox. “Congressman Johnson’s bill prevents the Obama Administration from denying Social Security recipients their Second Amendment rights just because they have a representative payee.”
In response to a 2013 Obama administration memorandum, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is considering a policy to provide the names of Social Security and disability beneficiaries who have a “representative payee” to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Once entered into the NICS, a person loses their Second Amendment rights and is prohibited from possessing or owning a firearm. If implemented, this would instantly deny more than four million Americans their Second Amendment rights based on their willingness or ability to manage their finances. Minors who lose a parent would be permanently classified as prohibited persons simply because they are legally unable to manage their finances.
"The Obama administration will stop at nothing to strip as many people as possible of their Second Amendment rights. The five million members of the NRA stand alongside Congressman Johnson in this fight to protect the children, parents, and grandparents who would fall victim to this back-door gun control scheme,” concluded Cox.
The Veterans Administration (VA) has already implemented a similar program to designate veterans as “prohibited persons” when they have a fiduciary assigned to administer their VA benefits. Like the SSA program described above, the VA procedures are also devoid of significant due process protections. To date, 177,000 veterans have been denied their constitutional rights based on their inability to manage their financial affairs.
- Chris Cox Op-Ed in USA Today
- Congressman Johnson Bill Protects Second Amendment Rights for Social Security Beneficiaries
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