Rep. Jenkins: President cannot limit our constitutional rights

President Obama has yet again used executive overreach to force his agenda on the American people, this time through executive actions tightening gun ownership and sales. Congress has already rejected these policies through bipartisan votes, and this action is another example of the president overstepping his constitutional authority to circumvent the people’s voices in Congress.

The Obama administration’s assault on Americans’ constitutional rights must stop. Time and time again, our courts have defended the Second Amendment, and Congress has voted repeatedly to reject new restrictions on our constitutional rights. As a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, I am outraged by President Obama’s actions and will fight to stop this executive order.

As West Virginians, we know that law-abiding citizens are not the problem, and our country was not founded on the principles of taking rights away from the people. West Virginians have a long and proud history of responsibly owning guns for sport, hunting and protecting our families. Our rights cannot and should not be taken away. This administration is determined to attack our way of life, our traditions and our constitutional rights.

These actions leave a lot of room for uncertainty, opening the door to the federal government abusing its powers and restricting the rights of law-abiding Americans. The administration will redefine what it means to be in the business of selling guns — with no clear guidelines as to what this will entail. If the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives decides that a person who sells one gun a year and makes a $10 profit is in the business of selling guns, that person could now have to be licensed by the federal government and conduct background checks. Even if that person sells a gun to a neighbor they have known for decades, they may be regulated as a gun seller and subjected to every regulation that entails.

This action is deliberately ambiguous and will allow federal bureaucrats at the ATF to go after law-abiding Americans. The president even wants to hire 200 new ATF agents to enforce these changes. Laws are already in place banning private sales of firearms across state lines, and these vague new rules will infringe on our constitutional rights.

I wish I could say this is a surprise, but time and time again, this president has used executive actions and regulations to eliminate policies and rights he disagrees with. Sadly, we have seen this far too often with the Environmental Protection Agency, which has aggressively used regulations and rules to destroy our coal mining communities. I have fought to stop the EPA, and I will fight to stop President Obama’s executive actions on gun control.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will use the power of the purse to eliminate funding for these new actions. As the Appropriations Committee begins its work this spring on fiscal year 2017 funding for federal agencies, I will go through the budget line by line and work to cut funding for these new provisions. 

I have cosponsored a number of bills that solidify Americans’ rights to own and carry firearms, including a concealed carry reciprocity bill that will allow West Virginians to legally carry in other states so long as they follow the law. In 2015, I stood with my fellow members of Congress in stopping the ATF from banning a commonly used type of ammunition.

Congress needs to take up crucial legislation to address failings in our mental health system, and we need to ensure that our mental health system is able to quickly identify and treat those in need. Additionally, Congress has provided billions of dollars this year for mental health services for millions of Americans, including more than $500 million for grants to states to provide mental health services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Congress is working to address deficiencies in our nation’s mental health system, and we can and will do more to fix an ailing mental health system.

As a member of Congress, I am dedicated to fighting for our state and doing what is right for the people of West Virginia. I will continue to support our constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment, and push back on the administration’s overreach into our lives, businesses and communities.