Anatomy Of The Gun Ban - Granite Grok

Anatomy Of The Gun Ban

 “A woman who demands further gun control legislation is like a chicken who roots for Colonel Sanders.” —Larry Elder

Oh_No_Guns_WhiteThere is never a time when gun-banning liberals cease to work to completely and totally remove firearms from our society…That is, to completely remove from law-abiding citizens the right to have and own firearms. On February 25, 1995 Senator Diane Feinstein told 60 Minutes, “If I could have banned them all – ‘Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns’ – I would have!”

“Who needs Machine guns anyway? There is no practical purpose for Machine Guns,” say those who fancy themselves as a moderate and reasonable voice for, “Sensible gun policy”. That logic is the proverbial red herring in the gun debate. In the wake of every anti-gun movement is the footprint of its very starting point…its birth…its apex. Machine Guns were and are just that starting point.

June 26, 1934 Congress passed the National Firearms Act (NFA) which, for the first time, classified firearms. Thereafter, NFA firearms must transfer through the federal NFA registry. The NFA additionally requires permanent transportation of NFA firearms across state lines by the owner be reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).

Gun_Grabbers_And Media_Hams2Originally in that very piece of legislation, pistols and revolvers were to be as strictly legislated as well, but that aspect was removed prior to its passage. The United States had its first piece of nationally legislated gun control. And America capitulated under the pretext that nobody needed to own machine guns.

The United States Supreme Court, in 1968 however, heard Haynes v. United States in which the defendant (Haynes) prevailed, making the National Act of 1934 null and void. Congress subsequently rewrote the NFA to make registration of existing NFA Firearms impossible except by the government, where previously, a NFA firearm could be registered by a citizen. This revision was known as the National Act of 1968. Thus, the government stepped up the restrictions on machine guns. This was more incrementalism and America again capitulated.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on October 22, 1968, sought to regulate the firearms industry in addition to firearms owners. GCA’s focus this time was in interstate commerce in firearms, prohibiting interstate firearms transfers except among licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers. GCA also mandated the licensing of individuals and companies engaged in the business of selling firearms. Several pro-second amendment organizations opposed the GCA at the time, asserting that it was excessively restrictive on law-abiding gun owners, while failing to prevent crime…Again America capitulated.

Feinstein_TyrannyMoreover, under the Gun Control Act of 1968, the BATFE was given broad latitude and discretion for the enforcement of regulations pertaining to Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders and not long after, allegations of abuses by ATF inspectors soon followed.

In February of 1982, a Senate Subcommittee investigated the Second Amendment issues and found that, that seventy-five percent of ATF prosecutions at the time were “constitutionally improper on Second Amendment issues. The Subcommittee wrote:

The conclusion is thus inescapable that the history, concept, and wording of the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as well as its interpretation by every major commentator and court in the first half century after its ratification, indicates that what is protected is an individual right of a private citizen to own and carry firearms in a peaceful manner.

TurnInYourGunsThe Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA) turned into an epic joke. Purposed to address the abuses noted in the 1982 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee report, the Democratically controlled house and Senate hijacked the bill and managed to sneak in some draconian measures in that very bill. Representative William J. Hughes (D-N.J.) proposed several amendments to the Act banning the sale of machine guns manufactured after the date of enactment to civilians, restricting sales of these weapons to the military and law enforcement only. What was intended to protect firearms owners, also took something away. America again capitulated.

Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994 (the proverbial “assault weapons” ban) was signed into law by Gun_Culture_Thug_CluturePresident Clinton. America had reached the crest of the slippery slope. We, as a nation, had finally turned the corner toward the incremental banning of firearms. First, came Machine Guns, then came semi-automatic rifles that contained features on civilian owned firearms that may resemble military firearms. A 2004 critical review of firearms research by a National Research Council committee said that an academic study of the assault weapon ban “did not reveal any clear impacts on gun violence outcomes.” Finally, America awoke. In September of 2004, the ban expired and several attempts to bring it back have been unsuccessful, in the wake of several mass shootings.

There have since been several less notable pieces of legislation to restrict or ban guns…Measures intended to remove guns from law-abiding citizens’ ownership. Ham-fisted attempts that failed.  Well-funded anti-gun organizations relentlessly lobby congress to move the gun debate in their direction.

lay_down_guns_and_bibles_cling_to_obamaMany states have enacted draconian firearms laws, and some large metros such as Chicago and Washington DC are notorious for their  bans on firearms. New York City has its Sullivan laws, Colorado, New York State, Connecticut and Massachusetts are the latest to pass strict gun control.

In the up and coming election season many may assert that the second amendment and gun control is not a major issue in the election. We know that not to be true because were it true, Michael Bloomberg would not throw $50 Million dollars at the issue.

The liberals will continue on diatribes comparing us to European states with their draconian gun control. But they always get clever with the facts. They cite low “gun” death figures and ignore the overall violent crime numbers. Moreover, No nation in the world has a second amendment even closely resembling ours in America. That should be the only thing one needs to know in the gun debate when comparisons are being made between Europe and America. This election cycle makes it ever so important for those seeking public office to be clear and unambiguous about their position on the second amendment. See to it that they are and keep their feet to the fire.

>