[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           H.R. 5827, PROTECTING GUN OWNERS IN BANKRUPTCY ACT

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5827, 
the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act. This legislation would 
provide a special exemption to allow gun owners to keep certain 
firearms during bankruptcy proceedings.
  Bankruptcy is a difficult and trying time for all families who face 
it. The federal system is designed to protect some personal items from 
being seized, because they are essential to an individual or family's 
livelihood. Assets such as clothing, household furnishings, retirement 
funds, and social security benefits are exempt from seizure--within 
certain limits--so that those struggling through bankruptcy have 
something to restart their lives with. While this bill may be a 
political victory for the American gun lobby, a special carve-out for 
guns would do nothing to help families emerge from the crisis of 
bankruptcy.
  In these times of economic hardship, millions of working families are 
facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. They need real help, not carve-outs 
for special interests.

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