We knew it would be bad, as the anti-rights folks are gunning for full confiscation, and we all knew this bill was simply a back door registration proposal. Still have a read on Sebastian’s take on how this simply RUINS lawful gun ownership:
If you left town for more than 7 days, and left your gay partner, or unrelated roommate at home with the guns, you’d be committing a felony. This should be called the “denying gun rights to gays act.” Remember that the federal government does not recognize gay marriage, even if you’re state does, thanks to DOMA. 5 years in prison.
Actually, even married couples are questionably legal, because the exemption between family only applies to gifts, not to temporary transfers. The 7 day implication is if you leave your spouse at home for more than 7 days, it’s an unlawful transfer, and you’re a 5 year felon. I suppose you could gift them to your spouse, or related co-habitant, and then have them gift them back when you arrive back home. Maybe the Attorney General will decide to create a form for that.
It would be illegal to lend a gun to a friend to take shooting. That would be a transfer. 5 years in federal prison.
Steals the livelihood of gun dealers by setting a fixed fee to conduct transfers. The fee is fixed by the Attorney General. What’s to prevent him from setting it at $1000?
Enacts defacto universal gun registration, because of record keeping requirements.
All lost and stolen guns must be reported to the federal and local government. This means everyone will have to fill out the theft/loss form, and not just FFLs. You only have 24 hours to comply. If you lose a gun on a hunting trip deep in the woods, and can’t get back home to fill out the form in 24 hours, you’re a felon and will spend 5 years in federal prison.
Want to lend a gun to a friend to go hunting? It’s a 5 year in prison felony.
No exception for state permits. All transfers must go through a dealer or 5 years in federal prison.
UPDATE: Teaching someone to shoot on your own land is a felony, 5 years, if you hand them the gun. Not an exempted transfer.
After New Town there was a lot of talk of people favoring a renewal of the Federal “Assault Weapon” Ban, but as soon as the text of the bill was revealed that support vanished in a puff of logic. I suspect the noted support for a “background Check bill” will also dry up when people realize that activities they frequently do are federal felonies. Hell when my wife and I were still dating but living together, I frequently was offshore or out of town on business for weeks, if not a month on business. Even in Massachusetts that has mandatory permitting, registration, and background checks this wasn’t a crime, this bill would make it so. Also the lost and stolen is totally egregious. Sebastien notes people losing a gun on a hunting trip in the back woods where you’re more than 24 hours from civilization (or simply would rather not end a hunting trip simply because your canoe flipped in deep water), but say you’re on vacation and there was a break-in. Cops or neighbors may discover the break-in before you do, and if you’re out of the country or away from cell reception you won’t know about your guns being stolen before the time is out and find yourself facing a federal felony when you get home.
This also kills hunting and training, which is EXACTLY what the antis want. Remember that bit about “Respecting the rights of sportsmen?” Nope, you can’t learn to shoot, or try out new guns, or go hunting with a friend’s gun.
I don’t think it’ll take much effort to kill this beast!
Another Thing to think about. Say you have a couple of guys renting a house off-Campus near a University. It’s Summer Time, and one of the Renters is member of the National Guard or Army Reserve. Let’s just say he’s an Iraq War Vet who did his Active Time, but stayed in the Reserve while going to School to get his Degree.
What happens to his Guns when he goes on his MANDATORY 2 Weeks Summer Training?
Under this law I would have to run a background check before I could give a gun to my nephew even if the previous owner was his late Father. This bill sucks.
What I fear is for a “compromise” bill to be finally passed. One that supposedly just sets a legal limit on magazine size, or bans certain cosmetic features. Something that would suck, but something that we could “live with”. Only to have it turn out, once it has been signed into law, to have some little wording trick that, in effect, bans all firearms, or at least all semi-automatic firearms. Note here that a double action revolver can be considered a semi-automatic firearm according to how the bill is worded. Hell, so could your side by side 12 gauge if you think about it wrong (like someone who knows jack shit about guns is likely to do).
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Hopefully this will draw attention to how their solution for Universal Background Checks invariably includes criminalization. Gun owners who aren’t actively involved in the good fight need to know this about their agenda.
Also note this makes almost all NRA training classes illegal, unless at a nonprofit range. Good luck getting a MA LTC under these rules.