Jacobs Leads Colleagues in Legislation to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Statement

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) led 15 representatives in introducing the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act to ensure an individual's right to self-defense is not stripped due to financial hardship.

"An American's right to protect themselves and their family is not conditioned on their financial standing. People fall on hard times, but their fundamental rights afforded under the Second Amendment are ensured by our Constitution and must be protected," Jacobs said. "I am proud to lead this effort in the House to ensure any law-abiding American can continue to defend themselves despite financial hardship, and I will continue my work to protect and defend the Second Amendment."

"I am proud to sponsor legislation to ensure gunowners can always maintain their Constitutional right to bear arms. The government should not be allowed to take advantage of lawful gunowners who have declared bankruptcy," Rep. Stefanik (NY-21) said.

"The Second Amendment is one of the most fundamental rights in our Constitution," Rep. Feenstra (IA-04) said. "Bankruptcy proceedings should not disqualify any American from exercising their constitutional freedoms. As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I will always protect the right to keep and bear arms."

"The right to self-defense is God given," Mullin (OK-02) said. "Our bankruptcy code should reflect that. As the Biden Administration continues their assault on our Second Amendment rights, we must stay diligent in protecting them. I want to thank my fellow cosponsors on this bill who recognize this too."

"The Second Amendment codified Americans' right to keep and bear arms, and that right should not be considered circumstantial. This legislation will ensure that, even when they may be struggling financially, responsible gun owners across America are still able to access their firearms as guaranteed by the United States Constitution," Rep. Newhouse (WA-04) said.

The Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act (H.R. 7493) would modify federal bankruptcy law to allow an individual debtor to exempt from their bankruptcy estate one or more firearms up to a total maximum value of $3,000. The bill also specifies that such firearms are household goods that are not subject to liens in bankruptcy.

The legislation was originally cosponsored by Representatives Cawthorn (NC-11), Newhouse (WA-04), Weber (TX-14), Mooney (WV-02), Van Drew (NJ-02), Garbarino (NY-02), Stefanik (NY-21), Tenney (NY-22), Mullin (OK-02), Gosar (AZ-04), McKinley (WV-01), Budd (NC-13), Norman (SC-05), Feenstra (IA-04), and Herrell (NM-02)