A bill before the U.S. Congress that would prevent law enforcement officers in the country illegally from carrying firearms highlights a loophole in the law that at least one gun-rights group believes needs to be addressed.
Under normal circumstances, federal law prohibits illegal aliens from possessing firearms and ammunition. However, as Gun Owners of America (GOA) pointed out in a newly posted fact sheet, there have been at least three major cases where an illegal has been hired in a law enforcement capacity, drawing attention to a glaring issue with current federal law.
“Congress introduces a GOA-backed bill to appeal an absurd loophole in federal law allowing states to arm illegals as police officers,” GOA recently posted on X. “Currently, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine and perhaps others are using illegals to infringe on the Second Amendment.”
As GOA pointed out in a separate post on X, the issue results in those illegal aliens’ right to carry being recognized on a far broader basis than that of lawful American gun owners.
“An outrageous loophole in federal law gives non-Americans more gun privileges than law-abiding citizens with Second Amendment rights,” GOA wrote in the post. “Through the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act illegals who are police have a statutory right to nationwide carry that is denied to everyday Americans. What’s worse, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, and perhaps others are already empowering illegals as police to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of American gun owners. Congress must pass the Stop Illegal Alien Cops Act immediately, to prevent anti-gun states from using illegal aliens to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws.”
GOA said in the fact sheet that the bill would protect American gun owners from disarmament by foreigners.
“Anti-gun states and law enforcement agencies are intentionally hiring and arming illegal aliens—who cannot otherwise own firearms—to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws, including “red flag” gun confiscations and so-called “assault weapons” bans,” GOA wrote. “It is frightening that the governments of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, and perhaps others are using illegals to infringe on the right of the People to keep and bear arms. This unacceptable state of affairs renders Americans less able to defend themselves from a tyrannical government.
“It is a threat to liberty to allow large numbers of armed foreigners—who do not have Second Amendment rights—to participate in the disarmament and infringement of the People’s Second Amendment rights.”
Ultimately, that’s why GOA proposed, and is now fully supporting, the Stop Illegal Alien Cops Act.
“Our bill would criminalize the possession of firearms and ammunition for illegal aliens even in their capacity as law enforcement officers,” the fact sheet concluded. “This would rebalance the scales of justice so no illegal alien may ever be able to lawfully use a firearm to disarm an American citizen ever again. It will also allow the Trump Administration to prosecute anti-gun states for arming illegals and hiring them to work as armed law enforcement officers.”
