Did Harry Reid Actually HELP Gun Owners?

Summary of the eRumor:  
This is a forwarded email that alleges that an amendment to the Affordable Care Act passed in 2009 prohibits the government from collecting information from patients regarding “the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition.”
 

The Truth:  
Hidden deep within Obamacare there is an amendment that protects our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. This according to a January 10, 2013 Fox News article.

Amendment 3276 - Senate Health Care Bill Amendment is real and says:

None of the authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or an amendment made by that Act shall be construed to authorize or may be used for the collection of any information relating to–

“(A) the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition;

“(B) the lawful use of a firearm or ammunition; or

“(C) the lawful storage of a firearm or ammunition.

After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook in January 2013 President Obama signed several Executive Orders targeting gun control.  According to a January 16, 2013 article by Forbes, two of the Executive Orders were directed to medical professionals: 
 

Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

At the time of this writing the Executive Orders page of the White House website does not show these new orders posted.

For more information and findings about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) click this link.

Updated 2/19/13

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Looks like Obama should have read the “Obamacare” law before he signed it, OR he was so eager to get “Obamacare” that he didn’t care about the “gun owners” clause that was in it!

So, Obama was either stupid for not reading the bill OR knew the clause was necessary to get his “Obamacare” passed, so that his ego could soar!

Wednesday, it was discovered that hidden deep within the massive 2800-page bill called Obamacare, there is a Senate Amendment protecting the right to keep and bear arms

It seems that in their haste to cram socialized medicine down the throats of the American people, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D CA) and Barack Obama overlooked Senate amendment 3276, Sec. 2716, part c. 

According to that amendment, the government cannot collect “any information relating to the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition.” This means that the government CANNOT mandate firearm registration. No registration, no confiscation. Poor ol’ Joe Biden, he spent the last couple of weeks focusing on making a law requiring registration. Good thing is though, the amendment also states that not even an executive order can override the amendment

CNN is now referring to it as “a gift to the nation’s powerful gun lobby.”And according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), that’s exactly right. He says he personally added the provision in order to keep the NRA from getting involved in the legislative fight over Obamacare, which was so ubiquitous in 2010.

It looks like Harry Reid actually helped out firearm owners without even realizing it. Thanks Harry!! 

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/o/Obamacare-Guns.htm#.UWwByaK-2uJ