According to documents obtained by Gun Owners of America, the FBI worked with doctors in multiple states beginning in 2011 to disarm a number of American citizens, according to the Washington Examiner.
The Examiner reported that the disarmament occurred in five states and was done in secret after reviewing documents obtained by the firearm rights group through the Freedom of Information Act.
According to the report, more than two dozen people were affected, with at least five people having their gun rights completely revoked. The records show the bureau worked in tandem with hospitals and medical clinics to strip individuals of their rights.
According to Examiner investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Secret Service collaborated directly with the FBI and without congressional approval.
According to the Examiner, people in Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma were affected.
The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System Indices Self-Submission Form was used in the plot.
When completed and signed by a patient and a doctor, the form prevents an individual from purchasing, owning, or handling firearms.
It allows the FBI to obtain mental health records from those who sign or appear to be forced to sign. The signatory will almost certainly be barred from exercising his or her Second Amendment rights for the rest of his or her life.
The Examiner reported that it obtained internal FBI emails from September 2019 in which an agent and another bureau employee discussed working with a hospital to revoke someone’s gun rights based on social media posts expressing a desire to purchase a firearm.
“Agent, I have reviewed the NICS Indices Self-Submission Form regarding [redacted],” someone with the FBI wrote. “In order to make this entry, we will need to verify the subjects DOB. It appears as an incorrect DOB on the form. Also, if only the form is returned with no specific documents establishing federal criteria (see below), A temporary record will be created for this subject that will expire in 30 days.”
The hospital was not named.
“Attached is the Petition I submitted to the hospital to have [redacted] committed for Mental Treatment, as well as the supporting Social Media Posts expressing a desire to obtain a firearm,” another FBI agent responded hours later.
According to the Examiner, the FBI program to collude with hospitals to have the Indices Self-Submission Form filled out ran from 2011 to 2019.
It is unclear why the covert program was halted.
In one case, a man was allegedly hospitalized involuntarily for mental health treatment in Massachusetts. According to the report, the FBI “brought” him a form to fill out.
However, documents reviewed by the Examiner revealed that the man stated on the form that he was voluntarily undergoing treatment.
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who worked for the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, commented on the alleged FBI-doctor collusion.
“It really speaks to the rogue nature of the ‘Deep State’ mentality,” Cuccinelli told the Examiner.
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Documents discovered by GOA and shared with the Washington Examiner give additional credence to the scary fact that the US Government is abusing and weaponizing its power to restrict the rights of citizens. https://t.co/8sg9Y2vnJi— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) March 7, 2023
The fact that the FBI was working directly with medical facilities without any Congressional approval or oversight to force Americans to deem themselves a "danger" should be clear indication that the NICS system is broken and the FBI should be investigated. pic.twitter.com/hwmGpxBAMh
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) March 7, 2023
Aidan Johnston, federal affairs director for Gun Owners of America, told the Examiner, “Any time you have evidence of private entities coordinating with federal agents to strip Americans of their rights, the public should be alarmed and demanding answers and action.”
“This is just the latest terrifying new instance of the illegal NICS self-submission form being used in nefarious ways, and those who used it to violate the public’s trust must be held to account,” Johnston said.
The Examiner said the FBI did not respond to a request for comment.