By Claudia Bommer
After reading my earlier post about German gun laws, some readers commented that they thought that these kinds of strict regulations must be the wet dream of American liberals who favor of ever more gun control. Well, I don’t think so. Of course, they might sigh and think to themselves, “If only we had reached that level of gun control yet!” But even if they ever enacted gun control laws on a par with Germany’s, you really think they’d be satisfied with that? . . .
Gun grabbers in Europe definitely aren’t at all satisfied with the laws we have now. After the terror attacks in Paris the EU had nothing better to do than propose still more restrictions on civilian gun ownership. If these proposals would become EU law, gun owner permits would be valid for only five years, shooters and hunters would have to take a mental exam every five years and semi-automatic rifles that look like full auto rifles (“assault rifles”) would be banned in the EU (just a few among many restrictions).
That would be a serious blow to gun ownership in the EU. And remember, they have demanded these new restrictions after foreign Muslim terrorists killed and injured hundreds of people with fully-automatic weapons of war that were brought into Europe illegally. In short, the strategy of the EU is this : when something bad happens involving a gun, punish the legal gun owners.
Then again, in Germany the leftists have been trying for years now to tighten the German gun laws even further. “Die Grünen” (“the Greens”, a far left party with an eco-touch) are among those who have been pushing for more gun control for a long time. Their latest proposal is to prohibit private gun and ammo storage for sports shooters.
If they manage to push this bill trough, this would be (almost) the end of private gun ownership in Germany. Many would rather give up their guns and their hobby than storing their own property away from home. It would mean the end to a lot of shooting clubs, too. Many of those clubs without their own club house and shooting range couldn’t manage to store the guns and ammo of their members.
Also, barely protected arsenals of guns and ammo held by clubs would attract criminals who could steal dozens to hundreds of guns in a single break-in. That’s probably the leftists’ goal as thefts would lead to the the next step: if there had been a number of burglaries, the gun grabbers could then demand expensive security measures like 24/7 security. Again, a lot of clubs couldn’t afford this. So this path will eventually lead, in the end, to a total gun ban.
Arguments from sports shooters, that with this kind of regulation they can’t practice their sport any more are countered with the usual declarations that if one life could be saved, it’s all worthwhile.
I’ll say it again: leftists and liberals will not be satisfied until no civilian possesses a gun any more and the government has them all. Since most of the time they don’t dare to openly express this goal, they use the salami tactic, taking one thin slice at the time. The goal, though, is total civilian disarmament. And no, that won’t ensure our safety. That path leads to suppression and – in the end – totalitarianism and slavery.
Moderate gun owners in the US should learn from this example. Gun grabbers always talk about “reasonable” regulations. And maybe to some these proposals sound reasonable. German shooting associations gave in for decades to ever stricter gun control measures. They thought that if they give in a little, the other side will be satisfied and leave them alone. They never will, not until a total gun ban is achieved.
I totally agree with the NRA: don’t give in one inch to the gun grabbers. But it’s five minutes to midnight. And we don’t have much time left.