DISARMING AMERICA’S HEROES
By Michael Connelly
MichaelConnelly.Jigsy.com
How would
you feel if you received a letter from the U.S.
Government informing you that because of a physical
or mental condition that the government says you
have it is proposing to rule that you are
incompetent to handle your own financial affairs?
Suppose that letter also stated that the government
is going to appoint a stranger to handle your
affairs for you at your expense? That would
certainly be scary enough but it gets worse.
What if that letter also
stated: “A determination of incompetency will
prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving,
or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you
knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may
be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady
Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159,
as implemented at 18, United States Code
924(a)(2).”?
That makes is sound like
something right from a documentary on a tyrannical
dictatorship somewhere in the world. Yet, as I write
this I have a copy of such a letter right in front
of me. It is being sent by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
America’s heroes. In my capacity as Executive
Director of the United States Justice Foundation
(USJF) I have been contacted by some of these
veterans and the stories I am getting are appalling.
The letter provides no
specifics on the reasons for the proposed finding of
incompetency; just that is based on a determination
by someone in the VA. In every state in the United
States no one can be declared incompetent to
administer their own affairs without due process of
law and that usually requires a judicial hearing
with evidence being offered to prove to a judge that
the person is indeed incompetent. This is a
requirement of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution that states that no person shall “…be
deprived of life, liberty, or property without due
process of law…”.
Obviously, the
Department of Veterans Affairs can’t be bothered by
such impediments as the Constitution, particularly
since they are clearly pushing to fulfill one of
Obama’s main goals, the disarming of the American
people. Janet Napolitano has already warned law
enforcement that some of the most dangerous among us
are America’s heroes, our veterans, and now
according to this letter from the VA they can be
prohibited from buying or even possessing a firearm
because of a physical or mental disability.
Think about it, the men
and women who have laid their lives on the line to
defend us and our Constitution are now having their
own Constitutional rights denied. There are no clear
criteria for the VA to declare a veteran
incompetent. It can be the loss of a limb in combat,
a head injury, a diagnosis of PTSD, or even a
soldier just telling someone at the VA that he or
she is depressed over the loss of a buddy in combat.
In none of these situations has the person been
found to be a danger to themselves or others. If
that was the case than all of the Americans who have
suffered from PTSD following the loss of a loved one
or from being in a car accident would also have to
be disqualified from owning firearms. It would also
mean that everyone who has ever been depressed for
any reason should be disarmed. In fact, many of the
veterans being deprived of their rights have no idea
why it is happening.
The answer
seems to be it is simply because they are veterans.
At the USJF we intend to find the truth by filing a
Freedom of Information Act request to the Department
of Veterans Affairs to force them to disclose the
criteria they are using to place veterans on the
background check list that keeps them from
exercising their Second Amendment rights. Then we
will take whatever legal steps are necessary to
protect our American warriors.
The reality is that
Obama will not get all of the gun control measures
he wants through Congress, and they wouldn’t be
enough for him anyway. He wants a totally disarmed
America so there will be no resistance to his plans
to rob us of our nation. That means we have to ask
who will be next. If you are receiving a Social
Security check will you get one of these letters?
Will the government declare that you are incompetent
because of your age and therefore banned from
firearm ownership. It certainly fits in with the
philosophy and plans of the Obama administration. It
is also certain that our military veterans don’t
deserve this and neither do any other Americans.
mrobertc@hotmail.com
Michael Connelly blog
www.usjf.net
Constitutional Law Alliance