Veteran exposes red flag gun control measure in defense bill

FPI / July 29, 2020

A former Marine Corps Reservist has blown the whistle on a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which he said could "strip veterans of their Second Amendment rights."

Dan McKnight, founder of the Bring Our Troops Home veterans' organization, said on the July 28 Washington Exposé podcast that the provision buried deep within the NDAA would deny veterans the right to own firearms in the event they are treated for a mental illness.

Washington Exposé hosts Bill Wilson, Carter Clews and Larry Ward noted that the provision is sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican, and is "hidden deep within the newest round of the National Defense Authorization Act. Dan is unabashedly unafraid as a veteran to blow the whistle on this Red Flag Gun Control in the NDAA."

Ward, President of Political Media, Inc. noted: "The UCMJ already gives incredible power to the military brass to temporarily confiscate guns for almost any reason, and they do it in domestic violence cases, etc. It is being codified to make the law much broader, and a template for civilian red flag laws.

"It has no business being codified in the NDAA as it creates a template and precedent for other national red-flag laws. The military is already subject to the Lautenberg Amendment and UCMJ which gives commanders the authority to act in response to real domestic violence threats or accusations. The addition of red flag language in the NDAA is a dangerous and radical move to the left and will eventually lead to civilian enactment of similar laws."

The provision, the hosts said, is on page 343 of the bill, H.R. 6395, which authorizes Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2021.

"This is not about gun control. It's about people control," McKnight said.

"Veterans are rising up. Enough is enough. Veterans with conservative views are labeled terrorists," he said. The provision in the NDAA, he added, would make veteran suicides even more of a problem as it would deter them from seeking needed medical treatment.

The hosts encouraged listeners to give Rep. Cheney a call: "First tell her we say hi, secondly, tell her to wake up and smell the freedoms for which our veterans put their lives on the line."

The July 28 Washington Exposé podcast can be heard here.

Free Press International