Manchin Votes to Prevent Terrorists from Obtaining Weapons and to Protect Law-Abiding Gun Owners' Second Amendment Rights
Manchin votes in support of ‘No Fly, No Buy’ and against overreaching Universal Background Checks
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted to prevent terrorists and those seeking to do harm to Americans from obtaining a weapon, and to prevent the federal government from instituting universal background checks.
“As a life-time hunter, sportsman, NRA member, and law-abiding gun owner, I will always fight to protect our Second Amendment rights and against any government overreach and infringement. And as a law-abiding gun owner, I know that we must do everything possible to prevent terrorists like Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, the Orlando shooter, and Syed Rizwan Farook, the shooter in San Bernadino, from obtaining a weapon. Today, I voted in favor of two proposals – one Republican and one Democratic – that would provide law enforcement and intelligence officials with the resources they need to keep suspected terrorists from doing harm to innocent Americans, while also providing important due process remedies to law-abiding Americans who have been unjustly denied their constitutional right. The bill does this by providing a person who has been denied a firearm purchase on account of their inclusion on a terrorist watch list the right to a civil court action against the government agency that denied the purchase.
“Unfortunately, Washington Democrats have decided to support a universal background check bill that goes well beyond the commonsense measures that the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey criminal and mental background check bill proposed – one that West Virginia gun owners supported and understood. This new overreach by national Democrats would prevent an uncle from gifting a hunting rifle to their nephew, like many West Virginia families do; it does nothing to protect the second amendment rights of our Veterans being denied their due process rights today; and it leaves open the possibility of a federal gun registry. This bill drastically and with intentionally vague language, expands the government’s ability to deny you your Second Amendment rights. This is a bill I cannot and will not support.
“I have always said that with gun rights come gun sense, and I will always fight to defend our Second Amendment rights, but I will also fight to prevent radical Islamic terrorists that hide behind their religion and attempt to do harm to Americans from obtaining weapons. All law-abiding gun owners must stand firm against terrorists being able to obtain guns legally in America.”
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