Do you own a firearm? Do you want to keep it?

*By Jon Kimball, Contributing Writer

We have an incredible freedom in this country like no other in the world. The Declaration of Independence states, “… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” One way we are allowed to accomplish this is written in the Constitution. The 2^nd Amendment gives us the right to “… keep and bear arms.” Do you know why the founding fathers included this? It is so we can maintain a free state and not be infringed upon by a tyrannical government… do you see the irony in our current situation?

2020 was a rough year. The state of many of our cities (and suburbs) has been rocked by the homelessness, crime, the drug epidemic and most of all lawless rioting (not to mention the government restrictions involving COVID). Most of my friends who own guns are conservative, but this year alone I have seen more liberal people I know purchase a gun. Why? Because they feel threatened… I say to them, “Aren’t you glad you have that right?” Estimates of over 21 million firearms were purchased in 2020 (up 73% from 2019) and in just the month of November the FBI states there were 3,626,355 background checks conducted.

How would you feel if that right was taken away? Well, you’d better wake up… because the liberals in our government are about to try and do that.

Now you might say to me, “Hold on, these are just laws to keep us safe and protect against mass shootings, etc.” I would say you’re flat out wrong. It’s not about safety, it’s about control. Remember it was Hitler who expressed the sentiment, “To conquer a nation, one must first disarm its citizens.” Law abiding gun owners don’t break the laws… criminals and mentally depraved people do. You can create laws until the cows come home and “they” are still going to find a way to break them. (There are estimates that we have over 20,000 gun laws in the U.S.) We live in a fallen world and unfortunately, shit happens. I, as a husband and father want to make sure that I have the ability to protect my family if a time should ever come in which I need to.

Do you know your history? Do you know the history of Democratic gun control? It began as early as 1640 when the Virginia’s House of Burgess passed a law denying free African-Americans the right to bear arms. In 1798 the Kentucky Comprehensive Act required African-American (unlike whites) to obtain a license if they wanted to protect themselves on the frontier with a gun. Later, the left’s workaround to the Constitution’s right of all free citizens to have the right to bear arms was to label the African-American a non-citizen. Even as current as 1925 Michigan seized guns from African-Americans, requiring and denying gun permits.¹ These are just a few examples, but the reality is (whether you want to admit it or not), gun control in this country has its roots in the pursuit of racial inequality.

Well, it’s being repeated by the left again with this bill – and I’m not saying just to the African-American community, but to EVERY American who may not have the means to jump through all the hoops. Below I’m going to give you an overview of the House’s new Bill (H.R. 127) and show you how discriminatory it is to all.

H.R. 127 (here’s the CliffsNotes as best I can understand the bill)

To possess a firearm and ammunition you’re going to have to get a license that requires:

Provide the gun make/model/serial number, your identity, when you acquired it and where you’re going to store it.
If you loan it (e.g., family member for hunting) you have to notify the Attorney General (AG) with the identity of the person and the period of time you’re loaning it to them (and obviously they have to have to have a license, too).
Age at least 21yro.
Pass a criminal background check.
Pass a psychological evaluation (which includes interview of spouse, former spouse and at least 2 other persons (family or associate).
If deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist, an evaluation of all members of your household.
Complete a training course (minimum 24 hrs).
Have a firearm insurance policy paid to the AG.
All this info will be in a database that will be established by the Attorney General (AG). In addition to being available to all Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, etc., the data base will be accessible to “all members of the public.” Did you catch this? Every criminal will be able to access and know how many firearms (and ammo) you own and where you store them!!! For previously owned guns you will have 3 months to report them to the AG.
If you have antique firearms to display, you’ll have to get a separate license for that and meet the appropriate regulations on display and storage (as determined by the AG).
If you have a military-style weapon (there’s a lengthy definition, but basically semi-auto rifles, shotguns and pistols that have certain characteristics) you’ll need to:
- Get a separate license (in addition to the firearm/ammo license).
- Take a training course and “live fire” training (minimum 24 hrs).
They can deny a license if you currently are prohibited by Federal law or have been hospitalized with mental illness, disturbance, or diagnosis (including depression, homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, or addiction to a controlled substance or alcohol), or a brain disease (including dementia or Alzheimer’s); or on account of conduct that endangers self or others.
Suspend your license if indicted for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1yr; lack firearm insurance or violate the .50 cal ammunition restriction (this is unclear within the document as to whether it’s both or one or the other).
Revocation of your license requires you to immediately return you license and surrender all firearms and ammunition you possess to the AG.
Expiration period appears to go from 5yrs down to 3yrs.
License renewal requires you meet the licensing requirements with regards to a psychological exam, proper insurance and a training course (at least 8 hrs).
Firearm insurance is $800 paid to the AG. This section is very vague and does not explain if it’s a one-time cost, or if you have to pay every renewal cycle.
There’re prohibitions of transferring/selling/gifting a firearm or ammunition… the other person has to have a license, they have to be at least 18 and you have to make notification to the AG. It doesn’t mention use of an FFL.
Ammunition .50 caliber and larger will be illegal.
Large capacity ammunition feeding devices will be illegal. This appears to be anything greater than 10 round mags (exception with .22 rimfire caliber).
Penalties for violations of these requirements (they range depending on the violation):
- Least – fined not less than $5k-$10k
- Most – fined not less than $75k-$150k, imprisoned not less than 15-25yrs or both.

Here are a few items that the document does not address (or I wasn’t able to determine) –

What will the license(s) cost?
Is the insurance one time? Is it required every purchase? Is it required every year? Every renewal period?
What are the parameters of the psychological evaluation? Do you have to have one completed each renewal?
Who pays for the psychological evaluation (and additional interviews of family members, etc.)?
What are the storage requirements?
Who pays for the training classes? Where and how often will they be available? What will they cost?

May I say again… it is the right of EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN to own a firearm as stated in our Constitution. What you have read above is discriminatory in that it will limit “who” can own a firearm and ammunition. How will a single mother, who works 2 jobs and wants a firearm for protection be able to accomplish these requirements let alone afford them? How does she afford the license fee; psychological exam(s); training class(es); insurance; let alone find the time to attend them all? And that’s in addition to paying the cost of the firearm and ammunition which currently is exorbitantly high. How is this fair to all?

This is a bill that will simply make gun ownership impossible for the majority of the public. Only the wealthy and elite will be able to pay the fees and have the time to jump through all the hoops… actually, let’s be real and it will be their body guards not them.

In closing, please think about how you vote in the future. I encourage you to email your representative and senators and let them know what you think about the bill. I’ll even make it easy for you… just cut and paste the below statement. All you have to do is look up their individual websites for their email address.

I am an American citizen that takes my rights given to me by my Constitution seriously. I have the right to have a firearm (and ammunition) without excessive restrictions. Bill H.R. 127 is discriminatory in nature and will prevent the majority of this nation from having the freedom to protect themselves. As your constituent, I am letting my voice be know that I am against H.R. 127 and am asking you to OPPOSE it.

¹ Excerpts from the book “Hands Off My Guns” by Dana Loesch