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Press Releases

Boozman Votes to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Opposes Manchin-Toomey Amendment; Supports Others that Strengthen Protections

Apr 17 2013

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) today voted to protect the Second Amendment by opposing Majority-led efforts to erode the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

“The Senate does not have the legal authority to dismantle the Second Amendment. The unnecessary burdens placed on law-abiding Americans through the background checks and reporting requirements that the Manchin-Toomey amendment would create are not consistent with the Second Amendment,” Boozman said.

“The reality is the gun is the tool, not the cause, of these crimes. The Majority wrongfully believes that the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans needs to be compromised in light of recent tragedies. That couldn’t be further from the appropriate response,” Boozman said.

While the Senate Majority’s bill focused on making it harder for law-abiding citizens to own firearms, Boozman supported an alternative focused on improving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) by requiring states to report more mental-health and criminal records to the federal background-checks system and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals by fixing and enforcing existing law.

 “Our substitute bill would create a Justice Department task force for prosecuting felons and fugitives who attempt to purchase a firearm. In 2010, more than 15,000 fugitives and felons were denied firearms by background checks and only a handful of these cases were referred for prosecution. Increasing these prosecutions will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” Boozman said.

Boozman also supported an amendment offered by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) that would protect the Second Amendment rights of veterans who are denied the ability to purchase a firearm if they have a fiduciary appointed to act on their behalf.

“The idea that veterans who are deemed unable to manage their finances should be denied their Second Amendment rights is a perfect example of the problems an overreaching gun control policy causes. Here we have men and women who have sacrificed for their country being told that their Constitutional rights do not matter if they are behind on their bills. These are not only law-abiding citizens, but they have served the very nation that is now denying them their rights,” Boozman said.