VA Tries to Confiscate Disabled Vet’s Guns

So a veteran gets a letter from the VA telling him he can't own guns.

The letter tells the man an "inspector" is coming to his house.

The man tells somebody, and a protest is organized outside his home.

The local Sheriff and a State (Idaho) Representative show up with 100 people.

The VA "acknowledges" they don't have the authority, but the FBI does.

And some local news station gets ahold of a "memo" from 2012 that indicates some collusion at the VA/FBI levels.

Maybe gun confiscation will happen when they want it to, especially now with the new HIPAA rule changes made by Obama (you can keep your doctor, but you may not like your doctor if he reports your "mental" condition to the FBI database !!).

The VA in this case seemed to be a little jittery to set a prescient I think.

I don't see it say the Vet committed any crimes that would make him not able to own guns.


VA Tries to Confiscate Disabled Vet’s Guns, Stopped by Citizens and Sheriff Standing Guard

A group of residents in northern Idaho lined up outside a U.S. Navy veteran’s house on Thursday to protest claims that federal officials are planning on confiscating the man’s weapons.

Idaho Republican state Rep. Heather Scott of Blanchard said the Veteran Affairs office has sent a letter to John Arnold of Priest River warning him that he cannot possess or purchase firearms.

The protest -spearheaded by Scott- attracted roughly 100 people. Among them were Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, who promised to stand guard against any federal attempts to remove Arnold’s guns, and Republican Washington state Rep. Matthew Shea of Spokane Valley, who described the event as a “defiance against tyranny.”

A memo from February of 2012 was first obtained by the Daily Caller and titled “MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION REGARDING THE NATIONAL INSTANT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM,” has been causing quite the stir.

This particular memo dictates that the VA must submit veterans health-related information to the FBI by way of encrypted compact disc and mailed quarterly. It states that the records will be used to update the NICS or National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Sneaky Sneaky !!

a reply to: xuenchen

That link has spyware and adware all over it.

a reply to: Vector99

here's a different link...

oathkeepers

a reply to: xuenchen

Thank you!

That is scary.

This is in the ACA. They prepared for this. The fact that the government is deciding who CAN have weapons is scary as hell.

This is how Obama uses soldiers like butt wipe, and then tries to flush their patriotism that he took advantage of and used, and when finished playing army men, tries to throw them under the bus, or trade his army men for ISIS men and Muslim brotherhood guys.
What does Obamacare really have inside it? Eventual death camps and Cuban style healthcare, which is the same as death camps. And he knows that people in his death camps surely can't have guns.

Obama receives all of his "Visions of the future" from sewage treatment plants, because that is what an Obama designed America would look like, a gigantic sewage facility.

Note to vets: Avoid using the VA if at all possible.

But of course, that's not really an option for a great many of vets.

Our govt is so full of scumbags, and they wonder why everyone despises the Govt and doesn't trust them.

Sadly; there are 49 to 51 percent of americans that think this sort of government douchery is a good idea.

I was in attendance at a Right's rally with many of the people who helped out the veteran. Many props to them. Thanks for sharing, while not a breaking story, it's a reminder of what can happen as explained.

God Bless the Sheriff who committed to upholding his oath to the citizens of his county and standing in the face of federal tyranny.

a reply to: xuenchen

Now that's a protest I could get behind.

The people have spoken. What the Feds return or threaten to return in greater numbers, and this protest grows. Not saying I agree with all of the methods in any means - but one thing is certain, people across the country are definitely "protesting," not necessarily in a way I would, but it still stands.

The VA, though? That's low, really low - I have a friend who served in the Navy who vehemently rallies against those who protest against the unfair treatment of veterans by the government, he - and he's a veteran, himself - mainly blames it on the veterans who do not personally seek help from their local VA for help.

I wonder how he would feel about this. Many veterans rely on this... and that's what their using as an arm of the FBI to confiscate veterans weapons?

That's insane.

Why did they say he couldn't own guns?

Did he go to the psych unit and tell them he thinks of killing others or himself often? Has the guy ever been involuntarily committed?


If the it is the psych department they do have some authority on the matter depending on the circumstances. I don't believe they have any right to forcibly search his home, but some people consent to avoid police and court involvement.

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
Sadly; there are 49 to 51 percent of americans that think this sort of government douchery is a good idea.

That's why I live in a republic called the usa not a democracy . My rights are god given and it doesn't matter if 99% of people don't want me to have those rights .

End this madness

When my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease i took his guns and locked them in my gun safe.
The VA never came for his guns but the local cops came a ask where they were.

I told them that they were locked up where he could not get to the and they would have to have a court order to get them as i was his attorney in fact over his affairs and had a signed power of attorney.

They tried to bluff me that they could take them till they heard from the family attorney.

he died in 2009 and his guns are still in my gun safe along with my collection and my brother has my power of attorney.
If the VA sent me a letter wanting my guns they will go to his gun safe.
Two of my guns are very rare collectors guns with less then 1500 ever made and worth $1000s.

cops in my area are well known for collecting guns from old ladies after there spouses die and add them to there own collections

Something VERY important that was NOT included in the OP. Has the vet been treated due to posing a threat to the life of himself or others? If so, then they SHOULD confiscate his weapons. If you have been diagnosed as either suicidal or homicidal, it is the governments RESPONSIBILITY to remove any firearms from your possession. But of course, this wouldn't be ATS without jumping to conclusions.

a reply to: watchitburn

What crap advice. Vets should use the VA as much as possible. Just an FYI, the VA is pretty much run by vets. The problem comes from the fact that the VA can't fart without Congressional approval. I'm gonna guess from your post that you are neither a vet, nor have ever met someone who works for the VA.

That story is from August and they didn't confiscate his guns. Here's another side of the story:

On Thursday morning, dozens of gun rights activists gathered outside Arnold's home. Many of them were under the impression a government official would be carrying out an inspection of Arnold's home and if guns were found in the house, they would be removed. Darryl Heisey with the Idaho Division of Veteran Services says that's not how the process works.

"In the 12 years I've been doing this, I've never seen a federal agency go into someone's home when we're working with a veteran and inspect or remove weapons from them, I've never seen that," says Heisey.

www.kulr8.com...

Ok I am gonna state the obvious here, but many vets have PTSD which will be a gun ownership disqualifier if they have received inpatient treatment and the same is true of many people who are on Social Security disability. I am predicting there will be more cases like this were a combat vet takes a stand concerning their guns, can only turn out bad. I would say it is fairly short sighted to all mental patients cannot be trusted with weapons and at some point most people have mental issues even if something treatable and common such as depression. So someone gets inpatient treatment at behavior center, loses the right to own a firearm seems like it big deal to me. People can stereotype mental issues in the most biasesd way, and it is discrimination against that class, and they have to violate your privacy and circumvent HIPPA law to even collect the data. It is the most abusive overreach I have seen in the government in my lifetime.

a reply to: mapsurfer_

Not true. I am a vet. I have PTSD. I am not disqualified from owning a firearm. The reason is that I do not pose a danger to myself and/or others. When you have any interaction with VA medical staff, they ask you if you feel like hurting yourself or others. A yes answer will get you admitted to the mental health ward, and will then disqualify you from owning firearms. It's the same thing if you are not a vet, and you indicate to a healthcare professional that you are feeling suicidal and/or homicidal. This is also the only exception to the HIPPA law, as well it should be. It's nobody's business if you have cancer, but it is quite everybody's business if you feel like killing folks, even yourself in non-fatal illness situations.