Attorney Mike Hammond is available to interview by phone (Eastern Time)
Intro: U.S. Veterans served our country, many seeing combat or being under stressful situations knowing that at any time they could be sent into harm’s way.
As a result, some suffer PTSD and other challenges. And hundreds of thousands of vets have been denied the constitutional right to bear arms.
But Gun Owners of America (GOA) has fought to win back the rights for veterans to carry arms. Joining us in this discussion is Mike Hammond, legal counsel for Gun Owners of America-.
Q&A:
1) Recently, some congressmen wrote to President Trump urging him to restore the right to bear arms to veterans. Tell us about that.
Answer: Yes. 21 Members of Congress led by Representative Andy Biggs wrote to the President urging him to take action to eliminate the VA Fiduciary Rule
2) What is the Fiduciary Rule?
Answer: It arbitrarily disarmed over 250,000 of our nation’s veterans.
3) It is my understanding that Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, and the Independence Fund submitted a petition for rulemaking to the Department of Veterans Affairs. How did that turn out?
Answer: We received overwhelming support from public officials.
4) Can you name any names?
Answer: We were grateful to see leaders like Representative Chip Roy and Dr. Phil Roe write their letter to President Trump last week in defense of veterans’ rights.
5) Have any other congressmen been helpful in restoring rights to vets?
Answer: Yes, Representative Biggs and his 20 Republican colleagues urged President Trump to take up our petition for rulemaking. We hope to see the Trump Administration take this first step towards eliminating the VA fiduciary rule, restoring the rights of these veterans post haste, and ending this dark chapter of Second Amendment history.
6) Where may we get more information on this and on your organization, Gun Owners of America? At GunOwners.org
Gun Owners of America is nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.
About Michael Hammond
Michael E. Hammond is the Legislative Counsel for Gun Owners of America. Having spent the better part of his career in government service, he has been a legislative counsel to Senators Bob Smith (R-NH), Gordon Humphrey (R-NH), Jesse Helms (R-NC), and Steve Symms (R-ID). He has served as Special Assistant and Legislative Assistant to Senator Harry Byrd (I-VA) and Senator James Buckley (R-NY), respectively. In 1980, Mr. Hammond was a member of the Department of Education Transition Team and the Department of Justice Transition Team. From 1977 to 1989, Michael served as General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Steering Committee. Mr. Hammond received his B.A. magna cum laude from Washington University and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law.
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin 919-437-0001.
