Miasmatic Review

HR 45 Blair Holt

I've received numerous emails from friends, aquantances and as a part of mailers for groups in which I belong. They were regarding the HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. Which was introduced by Bobby Rush D-IL. I'm not surprised that this started in Illinois. If there is anything that involves the restriction of freedom, individual rights, or firearms an Illinois politician will be all over it like a pack of wolves on a wounded deer. The only thing that might distract them would be a way for them to make money.

Let me give you the basics as to what this bill is going to do:

*Prohibit possession of any handguns or any semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition-feeding devices (excluding antiques) by anyone who has not been issued a firearm license.

*Require all sales of those types of firearms to go through licensed dealers

*Direct the Attorney General to establish and run a federal record-of-sale system.

*Require the possessors of firearms to secure them (by secure gun storage or safety devices) when they are kept in locales where children might be capable of gaining access to those firearms.

Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm (any rifle with a magazine or ANY pistol) unless you have a license and it is registered.

That might not sound too bad to some, but if you look at what you need to get that license you need the following:

(a) In General- In order to be issued a firearm license under this title, an individual shall submit to the Attorney General (in accordance with the regulations promulgated under subsection (b)) an application, which shall include--

(1) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;

(2) the name, address, and date and place of birth of the applicant;

(3) any other name that the applicant has ever used or by which the applicant has ever been known;

(4) a clear thumb print of the applicant, which shall be made when, and in the presence of the entity to whom, the application is submitted;

(5) with respect to each category of person prohibited by Federal law, or by the law of the State of residence of the applicant, from obtaining a firearm, a statement that the individual is not a person prohibited from obtaining a firearm;

(6) a certification by the applicant that the applicant will keep any firearm owned by the applicant safely stored and out of the possession of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;

(7) a certificate attesting to the completion at the time of application of a written firearms examination, which shall test the knowledge and ability of the applicant regarding--

(A) the safe storage of firearms, particularly in the vicinity of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;

(B) the safe handling of firearms;

(C) the use of firearms in the home and the risks associated with such use;

(D) the legal responsibilities of firearms owners, including Federal, State, and local laws relating to requirements for the possession and storage of firearms, and relating to reporting requirements with respect to firearms; and

(E) any other subjects, as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate;

(8) an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative of the Attorney General any mental health records pertaining to the applicant;

(9) the date on which the application was submitted; and

(10) the signature of the applicant.

What a load of baloney! Trust me folks, this is just the first step to the actual banning. See, they will use this to get all of us legal gun owners to go register our firearms with the government so that when they do the ban, they know exactly where to go and what to look for when they confiscate our firearms. If you think I'm kidding, look at what happened in England, and the history of how their firearm ban went.

It started with the Pistols Act of 1903. This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a license. The Firearms Act of 1920 expanded licensing to include not only handguns but all firearms except shotguns. Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns.

Then in Dunblane Scotland an incident happened where a man killed 16 children and a teacher at a school. After that incident laws were passed that banned firearms. Citizens who owned handguns were given three months to turn them over to local authorities. Being good British subjects, most people obeyed the law. The few who didn't were visited by police and threatened with ten-year prison sentences if they didn't comply. Police later bragged that they'd taken nearly 200,000 handguns from private citizens.

How did the authorities know who had handguns? The guns had been registered and licensed. Kinda like cars.

Why would we want to let this start to happen to us in the US? Can't we learn from the UK's mistakes and not repeat them? Please contact your congressmen and have them oppose this bill.

Right now it's only in committee and realistically has a small chance of going to the floor. It doesn't even have a co-sponsor. That doesn't mean you shouldn't let your voice be known. Prevent this from turning into something bigger.