NonStop Local: Senator Tester asks to keep amendment that protects veterans’ access to guns

Out Washington D.C., U.S. Senator John Tester is asking Senate leadership to include a bipartisan amendment to protect veterans’ access to legal guns. – This comes as the Senate considers legislation for government funding.

In his letter, the senator highlighted a Senate amendment which would stop federal funds from being used to report a veteran’s information to the Department of Justice’s criminal background check system without proof that they are a danger to themselves or others.

Reporting this information could make a veteran fail a background check so they couldn’t buy a gun.

The senator also referenced a report that said veterans often refuse to seek mental health care at the VA out of fear that their guns could be taken away from them.

You can read more about Senator Tester’s statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs website. Senator Tester’s letter to Senate leadership can also be viewed below.