New Gun Control Bill Would Create Public Registry Of Firearms :: 01/28/2021

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), is proposing legislation which would create an Orwellian database of gun owners.

Jackson-Lee filed H.R. 127 as a placeholder bill earlier this year, but the text was updated on Jan. 28. Once again restorting to one of the favored tactics of the left — “waving the bloody shirt — “The Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act,” is named after an exchange student murdered in a mass shooting in Texas, and would require the registration of all firearms in the United States.

Retroactively.

The bill reads, in part:

The Attorney General, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, shall establish a system for licensing the possession of firearms or ammunition in the United States, and for the registration with the Bureau of each firearm present in the United States.

“(b) Firearm Registration System.—

“(1) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—Under the firearm registration system, the owner of a firearm shall transmit to the Bureau—

“(A) the make, model, and serial number of the firearm, the identity of the owner of the firearm, the date the firearm was acquired by the owner, and where the firearm is or will be stored; and

“(B) a notice specifying the identity of any person to whom, and any period of time during which, the firearm will be loaned to the person.

“(2) DEADLINE FOR SUPPLYING INFORMATION.—The transmission required by paragraph (1) shall be made—

“(A) in the case of a firearm acquired before the effective date of this section, within 3 months after the effective date of this section; or

“(B) in the case of a firearm acquired on or after the effective date, on the date the owner acquires the firearm

Got all that? It’s not just a gun you bought after the day the law took effect, but you would be required to personally send in a registration on any gun you own.

National Shooting Sports Foundation Public Affairs Director Mark Oliva said the bill would be a “blunder.”

A national firearm registry is against federal law. Even Rep. Jackson-Lee’s home state of Texas refuses to consider a registry because of the Orwellian gun control incursions on Second Amendment rights. An examination of the bloated and expensive failure of Canada’s attempt at a national registry demonstrates the tremendous blunder this would be.

The bill, as Oliva notes, is likely a violation of federal law itself, but the legislation only gets more police-state from there.

The bill would create a database of all registered firearms in the U.S., maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Attorney General shall make the contents of the database accessible to all members of the public, all Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities, all branches of the United States Armed Forces, and all State and local governments, as defined by the Bureau.

You read that right, the database wouldn’t just be available to law enforcement, but the military and the general public.

But really, comrade, we’re not planning to send the Marines to take your guns, or gin up a mob to run you out of town, or just get the local Karens on your HOA to force you out of your home.

Just as dangerous — and unlikely to pass a court challenge, but with SCOTUS’ unwillingness to take up Second Amendment cases who knows — are the provisions about licensing.

Under this bill, you would have to be 21, pass a background check, pass a psychological examination and have liability insurance — which would cost $800.

You would even have to have a license to display an antique firearm.

There’s even a separate license for owning a “military-style firearm,” that would require jumping through even more hoops.

Perhaps most frightening are the requirements for the psych eval.

“(2) PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION.—A psychological evaluation is conducted in accordance with this paragraph if—

“(A) the evaluation is conducted in compliance with such standards as shall be established by the Attorney General;

“(B) the evaluation is conducted by a licensed psychologist approved by the Attorney General;

“(C) as deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist involved, the evaluation included a psychological evaluation of other members of the household in which the individual resides; and

“(D) as part of the psychological evaluation, the licensed psychologist interviewed any spouse of the individual, any former spouse of the individual, and at least 2 other persons who are a member of the family of, or an associate of, the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional, and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms.

And yes, you read THAT right too, the AG gets to decide what standards are required to pass the eval, and the shrink has the right to evaluate everyone in your house, your ex wife/husband and a couple of random “associates” chosen by the shrink.

Naturally this is all about public safety and would never be abused, but does anyone honestly think the “standards” set by the AG would allow anyone with a mildly-right-of-center bent to pass the check?

Fortunately, while it’s entirely possible this nonsense will get past the House, the idea that it will get through the senate is almost laughable. With the 50-50 split, even were Majority Leader Chuckie Schumer (D-New York). to abolish the filibuster, only one Democrat would have to peel off to kill this, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), would almost certainly do so, given that he’d like to continue to be elected.

uthor's Bio: Patrick Richardson