Gun control is rearing its ugly head once again thanks to President Biden and the anti-gun zealots he surrounds himself with. In today’s Rose Garden press conference on gun control, President Biden began by readily admitting he intended to go around Congress, to do what he could not get Congress to do through the legislative process, by issuing new executive orders and direction to the Attorney General and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE).
Ghost Guns
First up on Biden’s latest gun control wishlist was the regulation of ghost guns otherwise defined as self-assembled guns or homebuilt guns. Currently, it is not illegal to build your own firearm. You can use a 3D printer, CNC machine, or any other such method to build your own firearm. In doing so, a serial number is not required. The main reason a serial number is not required is because you cannot legally sell or transfer the firearm, so a register of manufactured firearms is not necessary.
Ghost guns are simply the media’s name for any firearm that was not built by a licensed manufacturer.
Biden took issue with the absence of a serial number and not having a background check to buy a “build your own” kit. He said this creates an atmosphere that hinders law enforcement’s efforts to track gun traffickers. This goes back to the old, tired claims of illegal gun bazaars and sets up Uncle Joe’s next big idea – universal background checks. No evidence has been put forth (as far as I know) that there are giant organizations in the U.S. building ghost guns and flooding the streets with them, but even if there was… would a new law stop them? IT is already legal to sell or transfer a home-built gun, so nothing is accomplished by the new proposed regulations.
Universal Background Checks
A background check is a check of the individual to ensure they are not a person who is legally prohibited from buying or owning a firearm. If President Biden was worried about these checks, he could start by having his son Hunter arrested for falsifying his 4473 when he purchased a firearm and stated that he does not/had not used illegal drugs or have been addicted to controlled substances. He could also tackle the mental health crisis and sociological issue that are at the root of the statistics he claims as a “gun violence epidemic” in the U.S.
Instead, President Biden drug out the tired old claim that guns are being sold online and gun shows are illegal arms bazaars. He failed to note that all firearms legally sold online still have to go through an FFL and background check. The same is true of any firearm sold at a gun show or from any FFL holders.
The lies are not new. Here is an infographic produced almost a decade ago claiming most NRA members support Universal background checks. Look at the disclaimers at the bottom, and you’ll have everything you need to know.
Private party transfers can be another story, depending on the location of the sale and transfer. However, there are still laws, in every state, that puts the onus on the seller to ensure the buyer can legally purchase or receive the firearm! It’s not like you can just sell a felon a firearm because it is a private party and you do not have an FFL. This is just another attempt to track who legally owns a firearm for whatever purpose the government may want in the future.
Universal background checks are not about background checks at all. It is a backdoor gun registry. While a national gun registry is prohibited by law, it does not take law enforcement long to trace a serial number to a manufacturer, FFL it was sold to, run through the paperwork at the FFL, and see who bought it. However, if that firearm could then legally be sold to an individual without the government having a paper trail, it frustrates law enforcement efforts to trace that firearm to particular individual.
Stabilizing Braces
While stabilizing braces were initially cited as a gun violence scourge, Biden’s “solution” was that they were fine so long as you gave the government $200 for a tax stamp… Suddenly, when the government gets its tax, the accuracy issue is no longer an issue.
President Biden next attacked stabilizing braces stating they can be mounted on “High-power pistols” which makes the pistol significantly more accurate. Of course, this is just code for AR pistols or similar platforms. From the statement, Biden took significant issue with the “more accurate” part. I guess he is okay with the ability to randomly spray bullets, but not fire accurately at a target.
Quickly after addressing the accuracy issue, Biden revealed the real motive behind the new proposed regulations. He claimed stabilizing braces essentially transform AR-style pistols into short barrel rifles (SBRs). While stabilizing braces were initially cited as a gun violence scourge, Biden’s “solution” was that they were fine so long as you gave the government $200 for a tax stamp… Suddenly, when the government gets its tax, the accuracy issue is no longer an issue.
Red Flag Laws
Red Flag laws — extreme protection orders — are laws designed to remove legally-owned firearms from individuals. It goes something like this. Law enforcement, family members, friends, acquaintances, or most anyone else can petition the court by stating you are a danger to yourself or others and get a ruling to have your firearms seized.
Resources and efforts would be much better spent addressing partner and familial violence than simply promoting a gun seizure.
On the surface there are problems with these laws, but the justification goes something like this. After a crime has happened, there is always someone who saw it coming, or claims the person was always a kook and if only there was a way to seize the firearms ahead of time, the whole tragedy could have been averted. It sounds like a bad Tom Cruise movie. Essentially, you are stripped of your rights BEFORE you can potentially commit a crime. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Let’s start seizing people’s automobiles because alcohol passes their lips—after all, they may one day be a drunk driver and kill someone or perhaps they recently had a favorite family pet pass away and could become dangerous behind the wheel.
While citing statistics in an effort to justify the push for Red Flag laws, President Biden delved into the topic suicide and firearms. In truth, the “gun violence” numbers often cited are not violence at all. Firearms are commonly used in suicides. Biden’s belief is that without the firearm, the person would not have committed suicide. This is an unqualified claim. While a firearm may be a convenient tool for a person bent on ending their life; they can just as easily jump into a car (or in front of one), swallow a bottle of pills, or sadly accomplish their act in a host of other ways. The gun does not make someone suicidal; it is just a tool that is used in a number of suicides.
In the end, President Biden does not have the power to enact any Red Flag laws. Instead, he is ordering the government to create a blueprint for Red Flag laws. While he strongly encouraged Congress to pass such legislation, the blueprint is designed to make it easier for individual states to pass such legislation.
The Second Amendment
The hackles of gun owners were all raised in unison when President Biden claimed that none of his actions would impinge on any of our Second Amendment rights nor was it a danger to any of our Send Amendment protections. Seizing our firearms when no crime has been committed is not an infringement? If the person is so unstable and such a threat, why not simply have them civilly committed? At that point they would not be able to possess a firearm, but that is a much higher hurdle than Red Flag laws promote.
Hints to Future Gun Control
President Biden also dropped hints to the future of gun control that is coming our way. Biden had Merrick Garland, the United States Attorney General, speak at the press conference. You remember Merrick, the guy President Obama wanted to put on the Supreme Court toward the end of his presidency. It was cited at the time that Merrick Garland was no friend of the Second Amendment. Sadly, today he is again proving those claims to have been true.
President Biden announced the nomination of David Chipman for ATF Chief. Chipman has a long record as an advocate of gun control, which points to more onerous ATF rules and gun control regulations being imposed on us in the foreseeable future.
Next on the list, President Biden announced the nomination of David Chipman for ATF Chief. Chipman has a long record as an advocate of gun control, which points to more onerous ATF rules and regulation being imposed on us in the foreseeable future.
Wrapping up Biden’s time at the mic, he accused gun manufacturers of being akin to tobacco CEOs and lying about the dangers of the products they sell to the people. Biden called for laws that would make firearms manufactures liable for the misuse of their products, called for a ban on “high-capacity” magazines, and falsely claimed that the “assault weapons ban” of 1994 saved lives (even though this has been debunked dozens of times), but it is an old standard among gun control advocates.
Questions to the Pro 2A Crowd
If President Biden is such a supporter of democracy, why does he feel the need to go around Congress with executive orders? What will be the fallout from the regulations (due in the next 30 days) regarding stabilizing braces? Will the regulations on braces result in a ban similar to bump stocks where millions of legally purchased products will become a federal crime overnight?
Gun control is here, and you have 30 days to support the organizations and individuals we need to fight this gun control push, or we’ll be living with the fallout. Support the NRA, SAF, GOA and your state and federal legislators who can oppose these laws or regulations now… before it is too late.
What will you do in response to this latest gun control push? Share your answers in the comment section.
Cocked and Locked is the official content provider of TheBestShootingSite.com. Be sure to also check out: American Violence: Sociology Driven, Not a Gun Issue.