Gun Owners of America (GOA) is urging Congress to repeal a 20th century gun control regulation put in place by then Representative Chuck Schumer; a man who has now made a name as one of the most anti-Second Amendment members of the U.S. Senate.
The regulation was added as an amendment to the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act (1986). It focuses on denying federal help to citizens who have lost constitutional rights and are seeking to regain them.
The Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1986 contained a provision which would allow persons subject to a gun ban to regain their constitutional rights.
Make no mistake about it: The procedure is no “piece of cake.” A person has to convince the ATF that they don’t represent a danger, or, failing that, they have to convince a federal court. But even this is too much for the gun-hating Schumer. For roughly 25 years, the “Schumer amendment” to the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Bill has prohibited any federal funds from being used to restore anyone’s constitutional rights.
What this is translated into is a near-impossible battle to regain one’s right to keep and bear arms, even after past mistakes, crimes, or mental problems have been amended and/or remedied. GOA says, “If a person were a veteran with PTSD, they’re out of luck. If they had a conviction for a federal regulatory offense — fifty years ago — they’re out of luck. They will NEVER get their guns back, thanks to Democrat Chuck Schumer.”
Breitbart News spoke with GOA executive director Erich Pratt about this, and he said, “It is important for Congress to repeal the Schumer ban immediately. Too many good Americans are being prevented from exercising their Second Amendment rights. We hope that Rep. John Culberson (R-TX-7) will single-handedly remove the Schumer ban from his Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill.”
It is interesting to note that Schumer has specifically targeted the Second Amendment rights of military veterans while in the Senate as well. On December 5, 2012, Breitbart News reported that Schumer was supporting a spending bill amendment that would literally open the door to taking away the guns of certain veterans. The amendment used the language of “mental health”–broadly applied–to ostracize a group of veterans and bar them from firearm possession.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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