The National Rifle Association on Thursday evening applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for striking down a measure that would have kept guns out of the hands of people with such disorders as schizophrenia and severe anxiety.
The House 235-180 votes strikes a regulation that would have required the Social Security Administration to report to the federal background check system individuals who receive disability payments for mental disorders.
Just minutes after the vote was cast the NRA tweeted it applauded the House for a vote that respected due process for gun oweners.
#NRA applauds House vote to respect due process for gun owners https://t.co/braSPNGckl #2A #gunsense
— NRA (@NRA) February 2, 2017
The NRA earlier in the day tweeted: “You cannot take away a Constitutional right without providing due process. Period.”
The regulation was introduced under the Obama administration after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
The NRA lobbied against the regulation from its introduction, arguing that the regulation would violate the Second Amendment rights of disability recipients.
“The Obama administration’s last minute, back-door gun grab would have stripped law-abiding Americans of their Second Amendment rights without due process,” said Chris Cox, the NRA’s top lobbyist, to TheHill.
House Republicans tapped the Congressional Review Act to overturn the gun regulation, according to TheHill. The law allows lawmakers to roll back rules deemed unfavorable by lawmakers.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which had welcomed the the measure, shot back with retweets, including one that read: Remember this the next time a Republican offers their thoughts and prayers after a shooting.
Remember this the next time a Republican offers their thoughts and prayers after a shooting https://t.co/rHeE7jcNAM
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) February 2, 2017
Individuals with mental illnesses account for only 4 percent of all violence in the country.
However, a report out of the National Institute of Health suggests that up to 60 percent of perpetrators of mass shootings in the United States since 1970 displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions, and depression before committing their crimes.
The Department of Veterans Affairs restricts a veteran’s right to own firearms if they are deemed unable to manage their finances.
President Trump has vowed to roll back Obama administration regulations.
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