Giving the Government Power to Determine Gun Ownership

by Mark Angelides

Legislation is being brought to the Senate (announced Tuesday) in a cross party bid that will effectively mean the Federal government has the final say on who is and who is not allowed to buy a firearm. The measures being proposed are a clear power grab aimed at preventing citizens deemed “unfit” to be banned from making purchases.
Led by Senators John Cornyn and Chris Murphy are the architects and it is being supported by the likes of Dianne Feinstein and Orrin Hatch. Essentially, it involves all states submitting names to the National Instant Background Check System (NICS) to ensure that people wishing to purchase are not in violation of any other laws or practices.
But the reality is much more pernicious.
W have seen what happens when the federal government gets put in sole charge of granting and denying when Lois Lerner was appointed to head up the charity classification department in the IRS. For a number of years, she oversaw the denying of charitable status to pretty much all conservative groups, whilst only allowing those that were openly leftist to receive the dispensation. Allegations suggest that if an application came in that had the either the words “Liberty” or “Freedom” in them, they were automatically rejected. In fact, after a large class action, damages are now being paid out.
The measures are being pushed right now because of the recent shootings by Devin Kelley. He was technically not allowed to purchase guns (although information seems unclear on whether he was allowed to posses the ones he already owned). The coalition of Senators is using this emotional issue (in conjunction with Sen. Jeff Flake’s “domestic violence” scheme) to push through laws that would give effective control over who issues the right to buy weapons to a politicized, government run department.
Anyone who believes that this would not, at some point, be used to stop innocent, law-abiding conservatives from making a purchase in the future is deluding themselves.
Cornyn made a statement saying: “For years agencies and states haven’t complied with the law, failing to upload these critical records without consequence. … This bill aims to help fix what’s become a nationwide, systemic problem so we can better prevent criminals and domestic abusers from obtaining firearms.”
So now they penalize those who do not share citizen’s information with the government, and hand over the decision making power. This is dangerous, wrong, and anti-constitutional. It needs to be stopped now.