Tester Defends Second Amendment Rights of Montanans

Senator: The Gun Rights of Law Abiding Citizens Shall not be Infringed

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today joined a bipartisan group of Senators to successfully overturn a controversial rule restricting gun rights.

The federal rule requires the Social Security Administration to turn over private information of law-abiding citizens to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

“Responsible gun ownership and the privacy of law-abiding citizens is fundamental to our Montana way of life,” Tester said. “As a gun owner and as Montana’s Senator, it is my responsibility to protect the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Montanans. This rule violates freedom and privacy and simply doesn’t belong on the books.”

Tester, a longtime defender of the Second Amendment, was joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Rifle Association, and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities in support of overturning the rule.

“The rule includes no meaningful due process protections prior to the Social Security Administration’s transmittal of names to the NICS database,” the ACLU wrote in a letter. “A disability should not constitute grounds for the automatic per se denial of any right or privilege, including gun ownership.”

“We urge Congress to act, through the Congressional Review Act process, to disapprove this new rule and prevent the damage that it inflicts on the disability community,” the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities wrote.

“Make no mistake, the SSA rule is: contrary to science; is contrary to the Second Amendment; is contrary to fundamental principles of due process; is unrelated to public safety; and cynically targets a misunderstood, marginalized population,” the NRA wrote.

The measure passed 57-43.