Rep. Ferguson Votes to Protect Second Amendment, Due Process Rights

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 -- Rep. A. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., issued the following news release:

Congressman Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) today voted to block a rule created by the Social Security Administration that restricts the Second Amendment and due process rights of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Under the rule, individuals who receive SSDI because of a mental health condition and do not handle their own finances would be placed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This would prevent them from purchasing or possessing a firearm and require an onerous appeal process to reverse.

"The Social Security Administration should not be in the business of deciding who gets flagged for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System," said Ferguson. "Not only is it wrong for the Social Security Administration to be involved in curtailing an individual's Second Amendment rights, but there is no evidence that having someone else handle an individual's finances means that person should automatically have those rights taken away. This regulation generalizes and further stigmatizes those seeking treatment for mental health disorders. Today I joined many of my colleagues in standing up for Second Amendment rights and those with mental health disorders and against the encroachments of the federal government."

The resolution is supported by National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Disability Rights, Mental Health America and the National Council on Independent Living.

Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the ability to overturn recently created federal regulations with a joint resolution passed by both chambers and signed by the President.

The resolution passed by a vote of 235-180 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

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