With Liberals In Control Of Congress, Gun Control Is Suddenly On The Agenda Again
In a new bill introduced the first day of present session of Congress, and with zero coverage from the MSM, H.R. 45 (Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009) targets all gun owners in the U.S.A.
This nefarious bill seeks to strip us all of our Constitutional Rights to possess and bear firearms of any distinction. It requires, within the first two years, that all new guns be registered. The bill goes retroactive after two years. Meaning that two years after the passage of the bill, ALL FIREARMS in a citizen’s possession must be registered, not just those purchased after the bill passes, and this apparently applies to antique firearms as well.
Every five years the firearm owner must go through a complete renewal process for each weapon owned. Failure to comply carries stiff penalties including confiscation of the firearms and jail time (penalties as high as ten years imprisonment in some cases). The bill also authorizes government searches without warrant, the creation of a federal bureaucracy to monitor firearm possession, etc.
Here’s a summary of the bill from Congres’ Thomas bill tracker:
1/6/2009–Introduced. Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 – Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.
Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.
Prohibits: (1) transferring a firearm to any person other than a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions; (2) licensed manufacturer or dealer from failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act;
(3) failing to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours; (4) failing to report to the Attorney General an address change within 60 days; (5)
keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for the firearm, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child uses the firearm and causes death or serious bodily injury.
Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of firearms provisions covered by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse; (2) conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and (3) collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer. Authorizes the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems.
What’s troubling about this, beyond the idea of having to register our guns with the government (the intent of the 2nd amendment was to provide us with a last-ditch defense against a tyrannical government, so what good is it if the government has a list of where all the guns are?), is that the clear intent here is to make buying, possessing and selling a firearm so difficult – so wrought with red tape backed up by severe penalties – that most gun owners just give up owning the gun because of the sheer hassle of it.
The liberals have learned their lessons well from the failed alcohol prohibition of the last century, and the very successful anti-smoking nanny statism. They know that they’ll never pass an outright ban of firearms. Such a ban would fail like prohibition did. But they know they can whittle away at our ability to own guns, one regulation and prohibition at a time, just as they’ve done and are doing with smoking.
They know that they don’t need to ban things like smoking or guns that they don’t like. They just need to make them so horrendously regulated that nobody wants to do them anyway.
Why anyone would think such tactics have a place in a free society is beyond me.
