Bill to make trading in Purple Heart Medals illegal proposed
In 2009, Zach Fike’s mother gave him for Christmas a Purple Heart Medal that she bought. It had belonged to the family of Corrado Piccoli who had been killed in action in France during World War II. Zach, now a major in the Vermont National Guard and a Purple Heart recipient himself was spurred to return the medal to the family. That led to the founding of Purple Hearts Reunited that returns found Purple Hearts and other medals to families.
Now, according to the Military Times, Republican Representative Paul Cook has introduced a bill that would make buying and selling Purple Heart Medals a Federal crime.
Republican Rep. Paul Cook introduced legislation last week which would make selling the medal punishable by fines and up to six months in prison. Online retailers price the military honors at several hundred dollars each, more if they can document who the original recipient was.
“These military collectors cheapen the Purple Heart by buying and selling this symbol of sacrifice like a pack of baseball cards,” said Cook, who served 26 years in the Marine Corps before joining Congress, rising to the rank of colonel and receiving two Purple Hearts for injuries sustained during the Vietnam War.
[…]
Cook’s bill would place the Purple Heart into a new protected category, keeping it away from not just con artists but also memorabilia collectors. Officials from the Military Order of the Purple Heart applauded the idea.
The medal is awarded for wounds or death caused by an armed enemy in combat, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members, it predecessor was known as the Badge of Military Merit, and tracks it’s history to George Washington’s Continental Army.
The bill would not affect the sales of veterans selling their own medals, or their families selling one that they inherit, according to Cook.
Category: Legal
A bit of an over reach and un-needed. If theres no fraud or theft involved, plus if I’m not mistaken several companies make purple heart medals. While they aren’t the Govt Issue ones they can be worn on the uniform.
They don’t prosecute phonies who rob the VA and charities and they are going to hammer a medal collector.
I bit torn on this one.
Beat up phonies who buy these for personal gain. Yep.
But there are legit folks who buy them with intentions of returning them to rightful owners/families. This would criminalize this. It also hurts legit collectors and museums.
Plus, it’s okay for owner/family to sell? Nope. Now the buyer is a criminal but not the seller. If you want to quash the market you don’t let anyone sell them.
This proposed law, while probably full of good intentions, isn’t a good law.
Another case of good intentions and the road to the hell called bureaucracy.
Bingo. “NOT a good idea, Congressman.”
The definition of fascism is ‘using government regulation of business and commerce to drive a desired social change or goal’. Unfortunately this qualifies as a fascist regulation of business and commerce.
This bill will just create a bigger can of worms without solving anything. I’m sure Representative Cook means well, but it does nothing to prevent fraud. Works about as well as most gun laws.
Yeeaahhhh, not so much.
If I sell mine to someone and they want to turn around and sell it to someone else, that’s their right. It’s a symbol of sacrifice, sure, but I don’t feel comfortable telling people they can’t buy/sell/collect something.
Worth several hundred dollars, eh? Wish I had known that. I could use the money.
So much for that old saying,”That and will get you a cup of coffee”.
$%^&%^
That was supposed to be “That and (insert amount here) will get you a cup of coffee”.
Dadgum newfangled interweb thingee.
Why are these moonbats trying to create criminals for frivolous shit?
Get fucking real, Paul Cook.
A way bit over the line.. I don’t agree on this one at all
Only a sucker would spend several hundred dollars on a Purple Heart Medal. They retail for $40-$45 commercially and about $32 through military sources.
For collectors, it depends on age etc. If still in the presentation case you can determine the era it was issued. The “coffin box” case indicates an older manufacture. Also, some of the medals where inscribed with the recipients name. Lot’s of variables for the collector which could take up pages.
But you’re right otherwise; if you are a phony just wanting to enhance your “visuals” as a veteran a PH Medal is fairly cheap.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1182190388557985&id=100003011054255
We care…
http://www.purpleheartsnorthcarolina.com
Mark the calendar. This may be the only issue, save for SV, itself where there appears to ne unanimity. I’m with Graybeard’s road to hell perspective.
No. Just. No. Too much Gunberment overreach in the wrong direction, with The Immutable Law of Unintended Consequences as an amendment.
If Rep Cook wants to “do” something, start a PSA education program to teach people the TRUE value – and cost – of Purple Hearts, as well as possibly what to do if you run across one.