Facts Become Clearer in House Bill to Keep Creditors From Taking Guns

Much has been made about the newly passed House bill that allows a person going through bankruptcy proceedings to retain their guns. The Senate has introduced a similar measure, and the House bill has passed 307 to 113. It is also worth noting that it was Democrats in the House and Senate who introduced the bill, but it was also Democrats who lead the opposition to the bills.

The House bill was introduced by Rep. John Boccieri of Ohio, while Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont introduced the similar measure in the Senate. It has been reported that many states have their own laws that protect firearms in bankruptcy proceedings, and in the case of the house bill an individual (or family) could retain their rifles, shotguns and pistols provided the value of a collection is worth less than $3,000 combined.

We don’t know exactly what that means, but noted that CBS Radio Hill correspondent Bob Fuss noted that an individual firearm has no limit on value. This is something that will be worth following, as it could mean that creditors might expect an extremely valuable collection to be broken up – depending on state laws.

As we previously reported, not everyone is pleased with this legislation, as CBS News noted:

“New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy argued on the House floor that the measure is a mistake, the Plain Dealer reports, arguing that having guns in households that are going through bankruptcy could increase the risks of suicide and violence.”

We agree that households in bankruptcy could find themselves under a lot of stress, but we ask again, with all the houses with mortgages under water and our economic uncertainty why we haven’t seen more acts of violence and suicide already? Could it be that guns give a sense of security to those in hard times?