Last week, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., joined more than 15 other Senate Republicans in backing a proposal “to prevent the president and the Secretary of Health and Human Services from declaring a public health emergency to impose gun control on law-abiding Americans.”
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., introduced the “Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act” with Scott as one of 19 co-sponsors.
“This bill comes in response to action taken by the governor of New Mexico earlier this month to institute a public health emergency for the purposes of suspending the 2nd Amendment-protected carrying of firearms. This comes after years of activist groups encouraging the Biden administration, specifically HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, to take the same path to impose gun control by executive fiat,” noted Scott’s office.
Scott and other backers pointed to the Biden administration’s efforts to create the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“Many said that public health emergencies would not be abused to impose gun control, but after we saw the vast expansion of executive power during COVID and the New Mexico governor use a public health emergency to effectively suspend the 2nd Amendment in her state, no one can doubt that this needs to be addressed. We need to set into law that no one can remove the right to defend ourselves and our families with the stroke of a pen,” said Braun.
“Democrats’ latest attempt to implement a flat-out ban on Americans’ 2nd Amendment rights in New Mexico under a dubious ‘public health order’ is unconstitutional. We cannot let the Biden administration attempt a similar executive action to strip the fundamental rights of our citizens. Our Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act keeps this administration in check and accountable,” said Scott.
The bill “prohibits the president or their designee, from declaring an emergency pursuant to the National Emergencies Act or major disaster pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in order to impose gun control; prevents the secretary of Health and Human Services from declaring a public health emergency pursuant to the Public Health Service Act for the purpose of imposing gun control” and “prevents any government official from prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transfer of a firearm or ammunition during a disaster or emergency.”
The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, but it is not expected to garner much momentum in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
With Biden creating the new office, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., applauded the administration and attended an event at the White House to launch it.
“On February 14, 2018, my hometown of Parkland, Florida, was shattered when a gunman took the lives of 17 people at my alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. I’ve seen the horrific scene firsthand. I’ve met with parents who now visit their kids in cemeteries. Far too many communities in America have suffered the same pain as Parkland. I am extremely grateful to President Joe Biden for saying enough is enough and creating an office of gun violence prevention in his administration. This is a strong step forward, and I look forward to working with the office as a legislative ally in Congress. We no longer need moments of silence; we need moments of action to protect our children, our schools, and our nation from gun violence,” Moskowitz said.
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