Is the Second Amendment under siege by the American left? A group of House Democrats stirred controversy Wednesday after they put forth legislation that would create a federally controlled list of people who voluntarily give up their Second Amendment right to purchase and own a firearm.
Democrats behind the bill have maintained that it is part of an effort to prevent gun suicides, which result in the death of over 25,000 Americans each year, according to Fox News.
The proposed legislation was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in a party-line vote after a debate in which some Republicans claimed that the bill is simply the most recent attempt of Democrats to get closer to their goal of essentially abolishing the Second Amendment.
“Do we really need a federal statute to permit a person to volunteer to give up their fundamental liberty?” asked Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan (R-OH). “That’s what this bill does.”
“Mental health is important, we all understand that, especially as it relates to suicide, but this … I mean, really? This is what we’re going to do?” Jordan asked.
“I think this again is just another attack from the Democrats on the Second Amendment,” he alleged.
Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY) expressed concerns about the bill as well, arguing the bill may turn decent Americans into criminals.
.@RepThomasMassie said at that hearing that the FBI had no congressional approval to strip people's gun rights. pic.twitter.com/aJcc4GIsDq
— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) December 8, 2022
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), one of the bill’s main sponsors, has claimed it is simply part of an effort to help Americans who are struggling with mental health problems.
“My bill would create a new tool that gives people experiencing the challenging swings of mental health illness to have the power to proactively and voluntarily protect themselves by putting themselves on a do-not-sell list for a firearm,” Jayapal said.
Republicans have cautioned that anyone who finds themselves on this gun-buying prevention list may face immense challenges should they want to get off of it.
“We know that’s going to be tough,” said Jordan. “You can be assured that getting your name removed from the database will be as difficult as possible and will be a deterrent for anyone to put their name on the list to begin with.”
