RantCrush Top 5: February 3, 2017

Yesterday, House Republicans voted to get rid of an Obama Administration rule that would prevent certain severely mentally ill people from buying guns. This is the first action on gun control since the beginning of President Trump’s administration, and it was cheered on by gun rights advocates and the National Rifle Association, which had pushed for a repeal. The rule, which took effect on January 18 and set a December compliance date, would require the Social Security Administration to send information about some beneficiaries to the federal background check system if they are deemed mentally incapable of handling their own finances.

Republicans believe the rule discriminates against disabled people by robbing them of their Second Amendment rights. Democrats said that they don’t want to stigmatize anyone, but that this rule only applies to a very small group of people who are so severely ill that they cannot have a job or take care of their own finances. If those individuals were allowed to own guns, it could put other people at risk. An identical effort is underway in the Senate.

@ajplus @MadisonLa_Rue I don’t even know a real republican who thinks thinks this is okay. You’ve gotta be kidding me, Donald. 😡

— Tanner Koehn (@PizzaTammer) February 2, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.