SB 374-Schumer-United States Senate-Possibly the most draconian bill ever. :: 03/13/2013

We Have Language for S. 374, the Transfer Ban

Shumer had kept the bogus "background check" bill under wraps, only putting forth a shell bill with no specifics. Well, he applied the text through an amendment at the last minute, before it passed. John Richardson has the details , including the text . I've only skimmed the details, but here's the key problems:

• If you left town for more than 7 days, and left your gay partner, or unrelated roommate at home with the guns, you'd be committing a felony. This should be called the "denying gun rights to gays act." Remember that the federal government does not recognize gay marriage, even if you're state does, thanks to DOMA. 5 years in prison.
• Actually, even married couples are questionably legal, because the exemption between family only applies to gifts, not to temporary transfers. The 7 day implication is if you leave your spouse at home for more than 7 days, it's an unlawful transfer, and you're a 5 year felon. I suppose you could gift them to your spouse, or related co-habitant, and then have them gift them back when you arrive back home. Maybe the Attorney General will decide to create a form for that.
• It would be illegal to lend a gun to a friend to take shooting. That would be a transfer. 5 years in federal prison.
• Steals the livelihood of gun dealers by setting a fixed fee to conduct transfers. The fee is fixed by the Attorney General. What's to prevent him from setting it at $1000?
• Enacts defacto universal gun registration, because of record keeping requirements.
• All lost and stolen guns must be reported to the federal and local government. This means everyone will have to fill out the theft/loss form, and not just FFLs. You only have 24 hours to comply. If you lose a gun on a hunting trip deep in the woods, and can't get back home to fill out the form in 24 hours, you're a felon and will spend 5 years in federal prison.
• Want to lend a gun to a friend to go hunting? It's a 5 year in prison felony.
• No exception for state permits. All transfers must go through a dealer or 5 years in federal prison.
• UPDATE: Teaching someone to shoot on your own land is a felony, 5 years, if you hand them the gun. Not an exempted transfer.

We will go thermonuclear on anyone who votes for this crap, and that goes double for Republicans. It's nothing more than an attempt to put more gun owners in prison. Schumer was wise to keep this under wraps, because his bill is truly draconian. I not only expect the GOP to vote against this piece of crap bill, I expect them to filibuster it. Let's see if the Democrats can get to 60 without any Republican support, and let's see how many of them want to lose their seats in 2014.

This bill has nothing to do with ensuring people who are getting guns are law-abiding, and everything to do with getting backdoor registration, and creating a patchwork of rules and laws that will land anyone who uses guns, and isn't a lawyer, in federal prison for a long time. Lots of otherwise law-abiding people are going to federal prison if this ends up passing, and I'm convinced that's the whole idea.