<p>This Thursday, Congressional Republicans struck down an Obama-era gun regulation that aimed to keep firearms away from the mentally ill. ;</p>
<p>It goes without saying that weapons should be kept from those with schizophrenia and other serious mental problems, but the proposal affected all social security recipients who use a representative payee to manage their finances.</p>
<p>The rule required the Social Security Administration to submit these names to the FBI&rsquo;s background check system &ndash; a database used when determining eligibility for gun purchases. ;</p>
<p>The National Rifle Association (NRA) and others argue that the sweeping measure was an infringement of basic rights, and that the determination about who is or isn&rsquo;t mentally ill should be handled by courts. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Obama Administration&rsquo;s last minute, back-door gun grab would have stripped law-abiding Americans of their Second Amendment rights without due process,&rdquo; argues NRA advocate Chris Cox. &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s vote was the first step in revoking this unconstitutional action.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There is, simply put, no nexus between the inability to manage money and the ability to safely and responsibly own, possess, or use a firearm,&rdquo; wrote the <em>National Council on Disability</em>, calling the rule an &ldquo;arbitrary linkage&rdquo; that &ldquo;unreasonably deprives individuals with disabilities of a constitutional right.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The 235-180 vote was part of a larger effort to retract a series of regulations issued during Obama&rsquo;s last months in office, with Republicans taking ;advantage of the <em>Congressional Review Act</em> to overturn regulations put into place during the past six months.</p>
<p>This special regulation expedites the process by allowing the Senate to sidestep the 60-vote threshold, meaning it can pass laws without Democratic support. ;</p>
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