House GOP Advances Bill that Would Increase Veteran Suicide
Washington DC — GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, condemned House Republicans for advancing the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (HR 705) out of the House Veterans Affairs Committee today.
GIFFORDS and other gun safety groups submitted a letter to the committee opposing the bill. Ranking Member Mark Takano submitted it for the congressional record.
If signed into law, this bill would make permanent a dangerous amendment that was included in the FY2024 appropriations package. H.R. 705 threatens public safety and weakens the background check system by eliminating the Department of Veterans Affairs’s (VA) ability to transmit to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) identifying information about beneficiaries who have been determined to be “mentally incompetent” due to injury or disease through clear and convincing medical evidence. Veterans are already at a higher risk for suicide and this bill would give the most vulnerable ones easy access to deadly firearms.
Emma Brown, GIFFORDS Executive Director:
“More than 6,500 veterans die by suicide each year in the United States. This is an epidemic. Instead of passing legislation that would work to lower this horrifying toll and save lives, House Republicans, at the behest of the gun lobby, are pushing to make it easier for veterans who are more vulnerable to suicide to access firearms, and open a loophole in our federal background checks system. It is appalling, and we urge our elected leaders to oppose this dangerous legislation.”
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