Rep. Sam Johnson introduced legislation in the House Wednesday in an effort to counteract the Obama administration’s strides to prevent Social Security participants from obtaining guns.
Under the president’s plan, the Social Security Association (SSA) would be added to the list of federal agencies required to submit users’ information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The Second Amendment rights of more than four million people who have been assigned a fiduciary to manage their benefits would be stripped if the regulation is implemented.
“Old age or a disability does not make someone a threat to society,” Johnson said in a statement announcing the bill. “These folks should be able to defend themselves just like everyone else, and Social Security has no business stripping them of that right.”
The Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the SSA in August urging the agency to rethink its policy.
SSA Commissioner Carolyn Colvin responded saying the only cases the agency has reported have been referred by the Office of the Inspector General.
“We are looking at possible implementation scenarios,” Colvin wrote. “However, we are not exploring any option that would refer all SSA beneficiaries with representative payees to the NICS.”
The National Rifle Association has come out in strong support of Johnson’s efforts.
“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.”
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