Florida Congresswoman and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), alongside Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D) released a joint statement this week, slamming the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for suspending their cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), removing barriers that prevent individuals who may pose a threat to themselves or others from acquiring firearms.
The VA previously utilized the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to "prohibit" veterans from acquiring firearms because they needed help from a fiduciary in managing their VA benefits.
“Countless veterans will needlessly die because of this decision by VA Secretary Doug Collins and Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse a decades-long safeguard that halts individuals who may harm themselves or others from receiving a firearm,” the Congresswoman said in a statement. “Guns are used in three out of every four veteran suicides, and preventing the VA from reporting a beneficiary who is unable to manage their own benefits to a national background firearm safety system for review only makes them less safe.”
Reps. Wasserman Schultz and DeLauro claim they receive a notification every time a veteran suicide occurs, and “nearly every single one includes a gun.”
They conclude their statement criticizing VA Secretary Doug Collins and Attorney General Pam Bondi for “ensuring we will see even more notices of veterans and others around them dying by firearms."
The VA released a press release announcing the policy change, where they claim that the changes “correct” a wrong that deprives Veterans in the VA’s Fiduciary Program of their constitutional right to own a firearm without a legal basis.
“Many Americans struggle with managing their finances, and Veterans’ Second Amendment rights shouldn’t be stripped just because they need help in this area. But for too long, Veterans who needed the services of a VA fiduciary were deprived of their right to bear arms,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Under the leadership of President Trump, we’re correcting this injustice and ensuring Veterans get the same due-process and constitutional rights as all Americans.”
In addition to suspending all reporting of VA Fiduciary Program participants to NICS, the VA is working with the FBI to remove all past VA reporting from NICS.
This means that Veterans who were prohibited from owning firearms based solely on their participation in VA’s Fiduciary Program will now be allowed to purchase firearms.
