OPINION: Don't let Congress go backward on gun safety

It may be the retired Marine in me talking, but what happened to respect for responsible gun owners?

Preserving our Second Amendment rights means making sure dangerous people can’t acquire guns. That’s why any responsible gun owner should want all firearms transactions to include a background check.

Congress will soon decide the fate of a rule, issued by the ATF earlier this year, defining what it means to be “engaged in the business” of firearms sales, requiring sellers to be licensed and conduct background checks.

In 2022, federal legislation called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was supported by more than two dozen Republicans in Congress, updated a 40-year-old law addressing the requirement for background checks. As a result, the ATF updated its policy and brought background checks into the internet age. This is a fair policy, entirely consistent with the Second Amendment, which protects gun owners’ rights and makes communities safer.

The key vote to keeping this rule may be Rep. Mary Peltola.

The Marine Corps taught me to respect weapons. Every interaction with a firearm was centered on three concepts: training, safety and accountability. Trust me, hell hath no fury like a drill instructor who discovers an unsecured weapon or a careless Marine on the range. In my civilian life, I was surprised by how quick it can be to acquire a firearm and how little training, safety and accountability matter to some civilians.

In Alaska, we own firearms for home protection and hunting, to use when “Hey bear!” or bear spray doesn’t work, or just because we see them as useful tools. So, why is the gun lobby set on reducing background check requirements and making it easier for domestic abusers, minors, people with suicidal ideations, and felons to get guns? The truth is the gun lobby used to represent gun owners, but today they support the profit-driven interests of the firearms manufacturers, and they sure don’t care about our interests.

I know I can pass a background check, and have for every gun I’ve purchased. So, why wouldn’t other buyers be held to the same standard, regardless of where they buy?

Don’t allow Congress to go backward and rescind this rule. It’s crucial that Rep. Peltola knows that responsible gun owners in Alaska — those of us who can pass a background check – want her to vote to keep this rule in place and reduce the risk of gun violence for our families 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 benefit Rep. Peltola and her colleagues to look to those of us who were trained in our nation’s profession of arms for some guidance and listen to our concerns.

I served this country for more than a quarter-century, including three combat deployments. My time in uniform reinforced my understanding of right and wrong, taught me how to protect those under my charge, and gave me a rock-solid understanding of the inherent burdens that come with firearms handling and ownership.

Trust me when I say that we want this ATF rule in place.

If you are a responsible gun owner or an Alaskan who cares about keeping the community safe, please take a moment to call or email Rep. Peltola and let her know that you support this rule and that she must vote to preserve it.

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

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