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In what many in the firearms community are calling a major Second Amendment victory, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is applauding VA Secretary Doug Collins for eliminating a decades-old policy that automatically reported certain veterans to the FBI’s background check system.
For nearly 30 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported veterans who required a fiduciary to help manage financial affairs to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). That reporting effectively categorized them as “prohibited persons,” blocking them from legally purchasing or possessing firearms, without a court finding that they were a danger to themselves or others.
That practice is now over.
Secretary Collins, working alongside U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Justice officials, rescinded the policy, ending what critics long described as an extrajudicial deprivation of constitutional rights.
NSSF had made reversing the policy a longstanding priority, arguing that needing help with financial paperwork is not — and never should be — a prohibiting factor under federal firearms law.
“This is another example of the Trump administration upholding its promise to protect Second Amendment rights and the industry that makes those rights possible,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel.
He went on to praise Secretary Collins for not only ending the practice but restoring rights to veterans who had been flagged in NICS solely due to fiduciary status.
The core issue, according to NSSF, is due process. Under the Gun Control Act, individuals can be prohibited from firearm possession if adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution. But VA fiduciary determinations are administrative decisions (not judicial rulings) and do not automatically equate to dangerousness.
Ending the policy brings the process back in line with constitutional standards, supporters argue.
NSSF is also urging Congress to codify these protections through the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.
In the House, Mike Bost and Morgan Luttrell introduced H.R. 1041. In the Senate, John Kennedy and Jerry Moran introduced S. 478. The legislation would require a judge (not a bureaucrat) to determine that a veteran poses a danger before stripping their firearm rights.
For many in the 2A community, this move isn’t just policy cleanup. It’s a restoration of rights to men and women who once swore an oath to defend them.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
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