“The dark and nonsensical fantasy that the United States government will one day transform itself into a jackbooted fascist state and seize American weaponry has long been peddled by the gun lobby to stir up donations to its cause,” today’s New York Times editorial opines. “It is the reason the federal background check system is not allowed to keep records of people who are approved to buy guns — advocates claimed that doing so would lead to a national gun registry and thus a road map for the storm troopers to know whose door to kick down in their rabid search for a revolver.” More likely a modern sporting rifle but we understand alliteration’s artistic allure. Anyway, true dat. Highlight and delete the word “nonsensical” and I’d say that’s a fair characterization. So what’s the Times’ indaba? Apparently, it’s that we already have a registry . . .
But licensed dealers already have to keep records of their gun sales when they conduct background checks, which makes the opposition to the same requirement for private sellers particularly absurd. If those records — which are kept for the majority of gun sales — haven’t led to a registry, why should the expanded requirement?
Ah yes, the gun dealer’s “bound book.”
By law, all federal firearms licensees (a.k.a., gun dealers) must record all firearms sales (with info gathered via purchase form 4473) in the book and maintain these records for 20 years. The ATF can request access to the book as part of a criminal investigation. You know; with a warrant and all.
Under the terms of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, the ATF (or any other local, state or federal agency) are not allowed to create a database of guns or gun owners using data from this book.
In the real world, the ATF has plenty o’ firearms databases. But the wider point remains: Uncle Sam doesn’t have a [legal] national gun registry based on the dealers’ bound-book. For exactly the “dark and nonsensical reasons” that the Times derides.
Politicians who respect both the Firearms Owners Protection Act and their constituents’ Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms, and have even the most tenuous grasp of the connection between disarmament and death and dismemberment, see a government maintained “universal background check” as a non-starter. Needless to say, the Times has a different view . . .
It sounds as if this last-minute issue is simply a lame excuse to kill the bill for those lawmakers already under pressure from the National Rifle Association. For the sake of future gun victims, lawmakers should ignore this lobbying and pass a background-check bill with a strong requirement for keeping records.
Wow. It “sounds as if”? In other words, there may be some merit in this argument but it’s probably the NRA obstructing legislation for obstruction’s sake? Hey Times, what if it isn’t?
Would you really risk the possibility of a government run amok and killing—yes disarming, interning and murdering—tens of thousands of people to “make the work of law enforcement easier” and “save” “future gun victims”?
I guess they would. Which is why we wouldn’t.
[Note from wikipedia: “The Bridge Gulch Massacre, also known as the Hayfork Massacre or Natural Bridge Massacre, occurred on 23 April 1852, when more than 150 Wintu people were killed by about 70 American men led by William H. Dixon, the Trinity County sheriff.” Map above.]
When you sleep with a sh.t for brains I guess thats what happens, Randy
I will probably not read TTAC anymore. Their current crop of “imported from Autoguide” writers are by and large, not very good. Without Niedermier or Karesh, it’s not worth reading anymore. I really liked TTAC but if Jack’s gone I’m done. I’ll find another car blog to enjoy. I will miss Steven Lang’s writing though.
Jack I look forward to your work in this space. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors. Your style has earned you a strong fanbase. I’m sure some of it will follow you here and perhaps take up the gun culture that is so strongly advocated here.
Welcome!!
Welcome, Jack!
I look forward to reading your contributions.
Wow. I used to live in that complex, in another life.
She has little risk of discovery, so long as she tells no one on campus. The idea of someone carrying a gun who’s not a cop is so foreign at the SIUE campus the author is in little danger of being made, so long as the campus shuttlebus isn’t too packed.
FYI; Cougar Village is an upperclassmen-only apartment complex located on the outskirts of the SIUE campus.The unit I was in is a two bedroom, one bath,one full kitchen with two students per room.Its far enough away from the campus police station that 911 is a joke.
Sigh. Cue the broken record…
Seventy years ago, in the heart of western civilization at the time, government agents went door to door and carted six million people off to their torture and deaths. Furthermore, if you lived in any of Greece, Yugoslavia, Poland, the Soviet Union, Holland, France or Belgium, you may not have needed to fear your own government, but that of a conquering/occupying government.
In the US, the same government that rounded up Japanese-Americans in 1942 is today run by people who:
– have enacted a mandate to force us to buy insurance,
– insist global warming denial is akin to war crimes,
– will not let you buy a certain type of light bulb,
– aim to seize our property under various guises,
– want to place a GPS tracking device in your car,
– adulate a leader who exorts to “punish our (domestic political) enemies”,
– are influenced by scholars who advocate abandoning the US constitution as a governing document
– advocate suspending elections (see former NC Gov., Perdue)
– brag of not following the rules when enacting laws (see Alcee Hastings, “there are no rules”)
– wish to direct and restrict media content (see Fairness Doctrine)
– et cetera and so forth.
Dark and nonsensical indeed.
Yeah and of course that could NEVER happen (again) here, because government only wants whats best for us. Only government should be armed to protect us, of course. Uhm—who exactly will protect us from our protectors?
SamAdams1776
Molon Labe
Si Vis Pacem PArabellum
Please, someone Tweet Joe and ask him why this man is in trouble for following his expert advice.
No sir. I will not watch.
Aside from the author’s opinion, that was one of the worst pieces of writing, technically speaking, I’ve seen published. I wrote the Salon editor a short note expressing my astonishment and disapproval of them publishing anything so poorly written, even if they agree with the author’s opinion.
Yeah, the awesome 12 Gauge. In the words of George Costanza – it makes an 11Gauge look like nothin’.
I guess Bonkers Biden also has a policy in dealing with North Korea. When they conduct a nuclear test he’ll just have the military fire two nukes straight up in the air to scare the bejesus out of ’em.
Hey, this lunatic is a heartbeat away from being president. Now that scares the bejesus out of me!
Since he was charged the police probably took his weapon – hey criminals time to go back. Next on the nightly news, “man murdered even though he wasn’t a threat to anyone”.
“the older folks weren’t all that bothered. Their existing guns were grandfathered in — indeed, no one was taking them.”
I consider that very short-sighted.
Guns are property, tools, collectible items of some value.
Grandfathered guns would have to be turned in to the authorities upon the owner’s death and could not be passed down to offspring/grandchildren.
The words, “willful obeisance to wanton authority” spring immediately to mind.
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!! Come and take ’em.
Ooh, this should be handy when I need at-a-glance factoids to bury anti-2A types in their own mound of BS. Mwahahaha!!!
Yeah – why does anyone need a gun that can kill at 300+ meters . . .
Here’s your sign 🙂
They will just be sucking on Obama tits just to make him happy and kissing up to those DEMOcRATS ass. By not FOllowing what they originally Pledged.
I don’t want to hurt the good cops but the bad cops that are unconstitutional! yes they must go! If they try to take away are rights.
et tu, Brute
Very disappointing.
BIDEN! STOP TALKING! It makes you look less stupid.
What did the poor door do to him, anyway?
I wonder how many people who don’t own a gun and plan on using something like a baseball bat to defend themselves / their family have actually thought through what that would actually take, even if the invader was unarmed.
An anti-gunner brought this up a while back, and I asked them why they would be willing to bludgeon someone at extremely close range, probably break their bones, possibly get covered in their blood, and most likely take injuries themselves in the process… yet shooting them from a safe distance is some how immoral?
Good for you, sir. You are now among the ranks of those who “get it.” I had an equivalent experience years ago, catching a burglar inside my home and holding him until the police arrived. It changed my life.
At the time, I was armed with nothing. Now, it’s a different story. As Nietzche said, that which does not destroy us makes us stronger.