I hate to hear this about the Veteran’s Affairs Administration. If a veteran-patient of the VA admits that he or she needs help managing their financial affairs, they can be considered “incompetent” and added to the list of those individuals forbidden to own firearms. According to a 2nd Amendment protection organization, “Gun Owners of America,” a quarter of a million veterans have already had this happen to them. Two bills before Congress, S.B. 1331 “Veterans 2nd Amendment Rights Restoration Act” and “H.R. 705 “Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act,” would rescind and forbid these nonjudicial acts by the VA. On 10 July 2024, Representative Matt Rosendale (MT) questioned VA Executive Director Kevin Friel about their policy in the light of these new legislations. Director Friel stated that the VA would not comply with these acts if signed into law. Here are the related links:
•x.com/GunOwners/status/1811070850461745362
•congress.gov/bill/116thcongress/senate-bill/1331/text
•congress.gov/bill/118thcongress/house-bill/705/text
Friends, it bothers me that an Executive Branch agency would say that they would ignore laws passed by the Legislative Branch. If I admitted to the VA that I hire professionals to do my taxes and don’t have a current balance in my checkbook, would the ATF storm my house and take the flintlock rifle off my wall? I just don’t know.
Now for something a little more upbeat!
One of our Post 41 members, Gus Adams, has just returned from Washington, D.C., with the Veterans Freedom Flight. Also, another member of American Legion Post 41 and VFW Post 473, Rudy Blahnik, is scheduled to take the Freedom Flight of the Ozarks to our national capital very soon.
•Texas County area veterans organizations:
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 473 has their meeting on the last Thursday of each month at 1800 at their Post Meeting Hall on Highway 63 north of Cabool.
•American Legion Post 559 will meet at 1800 on the second Tuesday of each month at the VFW Post 6337 meeting hall in Licking.
•Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6337 meets each third Monday of the month at 1730 in Licking at their Meeting Hall on Main Street just south of Highway 32.
•Fleet Reserve Association Branch 364 meets at 1430 every fourth Sunday of each month at the American Legion Post 41 meeting hall in Houston. The FRA exists to serve all veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.
•American Legion Post 41 meets at 1800 on the second Thursday of each month at their meeting hall on the west end of Chilton Oil Company in Houston, (just north of Pizza Hut.) Changes to membership eligibility now allow U.S. veterans of all branches and periods of service to join the American Legion.
•Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7222 meets at 6:00PM on the first Thursday of each month at their meeting hall just east of Summersville.
Houston resident Robert E. Simpson is a retired U.S. Navy chief electronics technician who served from 1969 to 1990. Email gfjjkaa@gmail.com.