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Stranger Than Fiction: Gun Control Debate Leads to Discovery of New Species

Friday, February 26, 2016

Stranger Than Fiction: Gun Control Debate Leads to Discovery of New Species

Researchers have found a variety of new species on the planet in recent years. Bugs and slugs, bats and rats, mini-dragons with tails, fish that walk, pigs that live in the sea, monkeys that sneeze, translucent frogs and, well, the list of previously unknown critters goes on and on.

We think we’ve found another. This will have to be validated according to scientific protocols before we can be certain, but we think we have found . . . an honest anti-gunner.

On Tuesday, the New York Times published an opinion by Abner Mikva, previously a federal judge placed on the bench by anti-gun president Jimmy Carter, White House counsel to anti-gun president Bill Clinton, admirer of anti-gun president Barack Obama, and mentor-of-sorts to Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who previously advised Clinton on gun control issues.

Like other gun control supporters, Mikva advocates requiring background checks on private sales of firearms. Following their usual script, he says, “[t]he Brady Bill’s background-check requirement applies only to sales by licensed firearms dealers. Virtually all resales of guns by private individuals are left unregulated.” Though the nation’s murder rate fell to an all-time low in 2014, Mikva insists, “The consequences of this gap are dire.”

However, unlike other anti-gunners, Mikva also makes clear where gun control supporters hope their background check expansion efforts will lead. “A more effective system would require everyone who owns or acquires a gun to register it,” he says. “Gun owners would also need a license that could be obtained by demonstrating they can use a gun responsibly, and passing a background check. Registration records would create a comprehensive database of all guns and their owners. . . . Registration could include recording the unique characteristics of a firearm’s barrel [and] stamping ammunition with identifiers.”

As we have elsewhere noted, in addition to demanding background checks on private sales of firearms, gun control supporters have introduced legislation to allow the FBI to indefinitely retain records on people who pass firearm background checks. If they completed those two goals, all that would remain to achieve the gun registration system they have long desired would be to require each background check record to include the make, model and serial number of every gun acquired as a result of the check. 

It’s no coincidence that gun control supporters’ priority, which used to be getting handguns registered as a precursor to getting them banned and confiscated, is now getting all firearms sales subjected to a background check and having the FBI retain records of such checks indefinitely. Just as birds chirp, squirrels bury nuts, and dogs bark, gun control supporters are always trying to set the stage for banning guns.

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Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

In a temporary reprieve for Colorado gun owners, the semi-auto ban HB24-1292 has been removed from the calendar. But we cannot let our guard down as gun control advocates can bring it up for a vote at ...

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

Much of the attention this past week in the United States Supreme Court was the oral arguments in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, No. 22-842, a First Amendment case on whether government officials ...

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

On March 19, the city of Chicago filed suit against handgun manufacturer Glock. Seeking to shift responsibility for the city’s woeful governance, Chicago’s lawsuit blames the popular firearm manufacturer for the third-party criminal misuse of ...

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Today, Governor Inslee signed five anti-gun bills into law that were recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. The bills include:

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 24-1292, the semi-auto ban, that lasted over 12 hours where hundreds of patriotic Coloradans overloaded the committee with opposition testimony. The hearing concluded with an ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

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Second Amendment  

Monday, March 25, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

In response to the NRA’s victory in Bruen, which secured every American’s right to carry arms, NY passed the “Concealed Carry Improvement Act,” severely restricting carry throughout the state. The 2nd Circuit upheld many of ...

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

On Wednesday, the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee voted 7-4 to pass Senate Bill 67 to the Senate floor for a vote. 

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

It's been a busy start to the year in the Wolverine State, as the Michigan NRA-ILA Grassroots Team has been out alerting and educating members and supporters on the critical changes in gun laws and working to stop ...

Louisiana: Firearms Bills on the Move - Take Action Now!

Monday, March 25, 2024

Louisiana: Firearms Bills on the Move - Take Action Now!

A number of firearm-related bills, including enhanced preemption, are moving in the Louisiana Legislature. It's critical that NRA members and Second Amendment supporters get involved to keep the momentum going!

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Today, Governor Andy Beshear let HB 357, the Merchant Category Code ban legislation pass into law without his signature. Your NRA would like to thank Representatives Derek Lewis (R, H-90), Michael Meredith (R, H-19), and Senator ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.