Today, the U.S. House passed two bills that seek to weaken the Second Amendment right owed to Americans. Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) voted against both bills and firmly stands against any efforts to weaken the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

One of the bills, H.R. 8, would criminalize the private transfer of firearms unless government permission was first granted. This targets law-abiding gun owners for simply loaning a firearm to a friend or family member. The second of the two bills, H.R. 1446, builds on the bad policies of H.R. 8 by increasing the wait time for a background check from three to 10 days. Furthermore, if the background check is not completed in 10 days, an appeal must be filed, which can take up to another 10 business days. An extended waiting period is the government’s way of controlling those who wish to purchase a firearm.

“Both these bills would do nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms but would do significant and long-lasting damage to law-abiding citizens’ right to keep and bear arms,” said Congressman Cloud. “Rather than ensuring wrongdoers and criminals do not have access to firearms, these two bills make it harder for law-abiding firearm owners. As is too often the case, the left overreacts to extreme cases in order to promote knee-jerk, misguided policy that seems to be well-intended, but has proven time and again to exacerbate the very problems they are trying to solve.”

“The Founding Fathers didn’t view the Second Amendment, or the Bill of Rights as a whole for that matter, as a limitation on the rights of citizens but rather a limitation on the powers of government,” Congressman Cloud continued. “Our constitutional rights are very broad, yet recently the government has been ignoring not just our Second Amendment rights but also many other basic rights. The Founders recognized that to preserve liberty, ultimate authority needed to remain with the people, not with the federal government.”

Congressman Cloud spoke against H.R. 8 on the House floor. Watch his remarks here.
ICYMI: Congressman Cloud recently introduced his bill, the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act (H.R. 1534).

In various reports, gun control organizations have encouraged the Biden Administration to administratively restrict the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. One option that is being explored is for the administration to declare gun violence a public health emergency. Outside groups are advising the Biden Administration to do so in order to accelerate policies that curb gun owners’ rights. As the administration considers its options to restrict the ability to own, possess, or purchase a firearm, Congressman Cloud’s legislation would combat this infringement. The bill would prohibit a president from declaring an emergency for the purposes of imposing gun control. It would also block government officials from prohibiting the manufacturing, sale, or transfer of firearms and ammunition during a major disaster or emergency. 

Already, the bill has garnered 42 cosponsors in the House, and both the NRA and Gun Owners of America support it. Read what several original cosponsors had to say about the merits of the bill by clicking here.

Congressman Cloud has also cosponsored the following bills during the 117th Congress that support the Second Amendment:

• H.R. 1680 — the Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act
• H.R.1027 — To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish an authority to issue permits to certain members of the Armed Forces who seek to carry concealed firearms while on military installations
• H.R.1013 — To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to provide that a member of the Armed Forces and the spouse of that member shall have the same rights regarding the receipt of firearms at the location of any duty station of the member
• H.R.38 — Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
• H.R.95 — Hearing Protection Act

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