Obama looks to ban Social Security recipients from owning guns

[dan_bgblue]

The Obama administration wants to keep people collecting Social Security benefits from owning guns if it is determined they are unable to manage their own affairs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The push, which could potentially affect millions whose monthly disability payments are handled by others, is intended to bring the Social Security Administration in line with laws that prevent gun sales to felons, drug addicts, immigrants in the United States illegally, and others, according to the paper.

Picking on the boomers is not a move that will go over well. Who is going to make the determination that a SS recipient is not able to handle their own affairs, and who is going to protect them from the ones who like to prey on the elderly?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/20/obama-looks-to-ban-social-security-recipients-from-owning-guns/

[Darrell KSR]

Well, it would prevent things. like that church massacre or the Chattanooga killings, since they were done by senior citizens.

[suncat05]

Just more invasive, intrusive big government overreach. Like most of these designated people are a threat? No, let's not decide this on each individual basis, let's just make a vast, all-inclusive rule that puts everybody in that net.

[Doc]

Well, it would prevent things. like that church massacre or the Chattanooga killings, since they were done by senior citizens.

http://static.sgv2.com/img/191085/aspect/700x500/photo/2/249dccbd3b6cb87dab270c6621f2743c9a4332aa.jpg

Gives new meaning to "I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands"

Most know my thoughts on guns. I'm mostly a gun regulation person in that I do believe that there should be some type of reasonable control and that not every person should be running around with a six shooter strapped to his or her leg but I also believe in the second amendment which guarantees right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7f/5d/cf/7f5dcfb4bbc1162047b6ce08015f3567.jpg

[CitizenBBN]

This proposal not only shows once again how out of touch Obama is with the nation's priorities, but how willing he is to flout the law of the land.

First, is this a problem? Are seniors out there committing many crimes with guns? Are they being inspired by social media to join Islam and kill people? Is this really where we need a President using his political capital and administrative resources right now? Nothing else on the list, like the billions of dollars of fraud in the social security program that could maybe help bail it out?

It shows how tone deaf he is to the real problems and struggles of the people of this country that he'd keep going after gun control when it is politically unpopular, and in this case not even an issue on the radar of even gun control advocates.


But second, it's just about black letter illegal, and he doesn't care about that either. The Gun Control Act of 1968 established that you cannot own a gun if you are not mentally competent, but having your SS checks go to someone else to manage your money is NOT evidence of any kind of a lack of legal mental competence. Not even close.

Here's the legal requirement in the GCA: " (4) has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution;"

So now per Obama anyone who gets their SS check sent to a child or someone else to take care of their finances is a mental defective, the equivalent of being committed to a mental institution?

How insulting. How degrading. How inaccurate from any legal perspective. that is NOT what the GCA said, not even close. Just another rewriting of the law b/c Obama doesn't agree with the 2nd Amendment.

[CitizenBBN]

PS - will AARP stand up to this? This is clearly discrimination against seniors, using the government's leverage and information about their lives to force them to give up their guns without any real legal basis.

My grandmother had one of the sons take care of her money for many years. It wasn't just about competence, it was complicated to handle all the bills and taxes etc., she turned it all over to him. But she had a 22 revolver in her bedroom and I dont' think anyone lost any sleep that she'd go nuts and hurt someone with it. It had been there for 50 years.

I don't know that she'd have been able to defend herself with it or not, but it doesn't matter what I think. it was her RIGHT by birth as a citizen of the US to make that choice for herself, and neither I nor King Obama the First have any standing to tell her no.

That he thinks she can't have that right b/c she let my uncle balance her checkbook every month is beyond galling. It's a breach of his oath to uphold the Constitution.

[KeithKSR]

I could see this being okay if limited to those who a court have ruled to be mentally incompetent, but none others. Technically these people are not currently allowed to purchase firearms, so the actions seems totally unnecessary to me.

[CitizenBBN]

I could see this being okay if limited to those who a court have ruled to be mentally incompetent, but none others. Technically these people are not currently allowed to purchase firearms, so the actions seems totally unnecessary to me.

The law already prevents someone ruled mentally incompetent from owning firearms, as well as purchasing them. This is making an equivalency of having your social security check sent to your child so they can manage the bank account and being mentally incompetent in a court of law. That's the only way it works, and that's outrageous.

[KeithKSR]

The law already prevents someone ruled mentally incompetent from owning firearms, as well as purchasing them. This is making an equivalency of having your social security check sent to your child so they can manage the bank account and being mentally incompetent in a court of law. That's the only way it works, and that's outrageous.

Spells out another Obama gun grab scheme to me.

[CitizenBBN]

Spells out another Obama gun grab scheme to me.

That's all it is, and has nothing to do with safety, as the situations of these last two shootings show. Both of those were failures in the NICS system, and both due to poor or non-existent state reporting of cases. The gun community and industry have been lobbying for the changes to close those gaps and prevent these tragedies, while Obama is focused on preventing perfectly safe older folks from being able to defend themselves.

It's now come out that the check on the South Carolina shooter failed b/c they improperly reported the arresting agency in state records so no one got back to the FBI. In the Louisiana case the man had been involuntarily committed and it was never reported. the NSSF and others have lobbied for years to get states to fix their reporting, and if Obama really cared about saving lives that's where he'd start his efforts b/c that's clearly where the biggest risk lies.