Opinion: Don’t allow Congress to backtrack on gun safety

Has been updated: 33 A few minutes ago release date: 33 A few minutes ago

Maybe it’s just me being a retired Marine, but where has the respect for responsible gun owners gone?

Protecting our Second Amendment rights means keeping dangerous people from getting access to guns, which is why responsible gun owners should ensure that all firearm transactions include background checks.

Congress will soon decide the fate of rules issued by the ATF earlier this year that define what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms and require sellers to obtain licenses and conduct background checks.

In 2022, a bipartisan federal bill called the Safer Communities Act, sponsored by more than 20 Republicans in Congress, would update a 40-year-old law that established background check requirements. As a result, ATF updated its policy to bring background checks into the internet age. This is a fair policy, fully consistent with the Second Amendment, which protects gun owners’ rights and makes our communities safer.

Rep. Mary Peltola may provide the key vote to keep the rule in place.

The Marines taught me to respect weapons. Every interaction with firearms was centered around three concepts: training, safety and responsibility. Believe me, hell never rages more than when I discover a drill instructor who finds a weapon not stored in a secure place or a careless Marine at the firing range. In civilian life, I was amazed at how quickly firearms became available and how little training, safety and responsibility mattered to some civilians.

In Alaska, we own guns for home defense, for hunting, for when bear spray doesn’t work, or simply because we think they’re useful tools. So why is the gun lobby trying to reduce background check requirements and make guns more accessible to domestic abusers, minors, suicidal people, and felons? The truth is, while the gun lobby once represented gun owners, today it supports the profit-driven interests of gun manufacturers and doesn’t care about our interests at all.

I know I can pass a background check, and every gun I’ve ever purchased has passed, so why aren’t the same standards applied to other buyers, regardless of where they buy?

We cannot allow Congress to backtrack and repeal this rule. It is important that Rep. Peltola knows that responsible Alaskan gun owners – those of us who can pass a background check – want him to vote to keep this rule in place and reduce the risk of gun violence to our family and friends.

No state has more veterans per capita than Alaska, and few groups know more about guns than those of us who served in the military. It would be beneficial for Senator Peltola and his colleagues to look to those of us trained in our nation’s military profession for guidance and to listen to our concerns.

I have served this country for over a quarter century, including three combat deployments. My experience in uniform has deepened my understanding of right from wrong, taught me how to protect those I am responsible for protecting, and given me a firm understanding of the inherent burdens that come with handling and owning a firearm.

Believe me when I say we want this ATF rule enforced.

If you are a responsible gun owner or an Alaskan who cares about keeping our communities safe, please call or email Senator Peltola and let him know you support this rule and that your legislators must vote to keep it in place.

Brandon Brooks is a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and a gun owner who lives in Eagle River.

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