House Dems Prepare Law That Will Devastate Private Gun Sales
When Democrats regained the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, gun rights advocates and Second Amendment supporters knew it was only a matter of time before the debate over strict gun control measures heated back up again.
It didn’t take long for that concern to become a reality, as The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Democrats had already announced legislation that would mandate “universal background checks” on virtually all firearm purchases across the nation.
That proposal has sadly been labeled “bipartisan,” as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Rep. Mike Thompson — who serves as chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force — managed to convince Republican New York Rep. Peter King to co-sponsor the bill.
Former Democratic Arizona Rep. Gabbie Giffords — who became a staunch advocate of gun control after she was badly wounded in a 2011 mass shooting — will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the eighth anniversary of that shooting, to help unveil the legislation.
She published a Twitter post about the bill last week.
I’m thrilled to join @SpeakerPelosi and @RepThompson next week in Washington to introduce a bipartisan universal background checks bill.
Americans have spoken. It’s time to address our gun violence epidemic, and this new Congress will not sit silent. https://t.co/MQjkhtiuJU
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) January 4, 2019
“I’m thrilled to join @SpeakerPelosi and @RepThompson next week in Washington to introduce a bipartisan universal background checks bill,” Giffords wrote.
“Americans have spoken. It’s time to address our gun violence epidemic, and this new Congress will not sit silent.”
Politico first reported on the proposed legislation — which will be named “H.R. 8,” in honor of the eighth anniversary of Giffords’ shooting and the 8th District in Arizona that she used to represent — which will almost assuredly be passed by the Democrat-controlled House in short order, but will likely stall out in the Republican-controlled Senate.
If passed, the legislation would impose the requirement of a federal background check on all gun sales, even private transactions between consenting individuals, with the only exceptions being for transfers between family members or the temporary use of a firearm for hunting or other similarly temporary acts.
In essence, this proposed law would insert government oversight into the personal business of private citizens, effectively prohibiting the mutual exchange of firearms and money between individuals without the government’s knowledge.
This would be the equivalent of a requirement that the government sign off on and approve the publication and sale of books, or articles and essays, should the writer receive monetary compensation in that First Amendment-protected exchange of ideas.
In a statement in support of the legislation, Thompson said, “Since the shooting at Sandy Hook, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has been fighting for a chance to pass legislation that will help save lives. Finally, with our new majority that ran on helping to prevent gun violence, we will introduce a bipartisan, universal background checks bill. We will hold hearings, we will have a vote, and this legislation will finally pass the House.”
Thompson’s statement was echoed by one from Pelosi, who said, “In communities across America, courageous survivors, families and young advocates are showing outstanding courage and persistence in demanding an end to the horrific scourge of gun violence in our nation. It is an honor to join Congressman Mike Thompson and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords to answer their call by taking the first step to pass commonsense background checks — which 97 percent of the American people support.”
Except, with regard to Thompson and Pelosi’s statements, we already have federal background checks in place for purchases through federally licensed dealers. Also, there is minimal, if any, evidence that background checks “help save lives,” and it is blatantly misleading to suggest that “97 percent” of Americans support the federal government sticking its nose into the private affairs and transactions of consenting adults.
As noted, this bill will have little trouble garnering enough support among the Democratic caucus in the House, as well as from a few moderate Republicans, and is likely just the first of many gun control-related pieces of legislation Pelosi’s anti-gun party will attempt to foist upon the American people over the next two years.
However, this bill and the others that will inevitably follow are unlikely to make it past the Senate, as the Democrats would need to convince 13 Republicans to abandon their firearms-friendly constituents and undermine the “shall not be infringed” foundation of the Second Amendment to reach the 60-vote threshold that would be required for passage.
Even if Democrats managed to somehow clear that daunting hurdle in the Senate, they would also have to receive an approving signature from President Trump … another rather unlikely scenario.
In other words, Pelosi and the Democrats are just wasting everybody’s time yet again with another proposal for an unconstitutional gun control bill that will never be signed into law.
But they’re still going to try.
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