As I predicted... any of you guys get something like this...yet?
Written By Constitutional Attorney Michael Connelly, J.D.
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.