Do you want Merrick Garland to decide if you’re eligible to own a gun every time you acquire a new firearm?
Senate Democrats are pushing gun control in the run-up to the midterms, in the form of a bill introduced on Thursday.
They’re using the Buffalo mass shooting as a political tool, even though the gunman easily bypassed New York’s gun control laws to attack unarmed grocery shoppers.
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal and Bob Menendez are introducing the Federal Firearms Licensing Act, according to Politico.
The law would fundamentally revise gun ownership from a right enjoyed by American citizens to a privilege bestowed by the government at its own discretion.
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Acquiring or buying a new gun would require a lengthy licensing process through the Department of Justice — every time you purchase a new firearm.
Buying a gun from a licensed firearms dealer already requires a NICS background check. Existing law prevents felons from buying or owning guns.
Booker’s bill would give the Attorney General discretion to approve or deny a federal firearms license, even if you’ve never been convicted of a crime.
The Attorney General would be able to deny a firearms license if they determined that the prospective gun owner “poses a significant danger of bodily injury to self or others” by owning a firearm.
Should gun sales requires federal permission?
The federal government could deny Americans gun rights if they’ve ever been arrested or have a history of drug or alcohol use. They can even be denied for the “unsafe storage or handling of firearms.”
Furthermore, some could be denied a firearm because of a “recent acquisition of firearms, ammunition or other deadly weapons.”
Imagine that — getting denied by the federal government to purchase a gun because you’ve previously purchased a gun.
Applicants for federal permission would also have to submit proof of taking extensive safety classes. Learning how to properly handle firearms from your parents simply won’t cut it.
Gun control is one of several issues in which public opinion has swayed away from the Democratic platform in recent years.
Attempts to ram through massive gun control packages during Barack Obama’s presidency ended in failure for Democrats.
Making gun ownership a privilege to be bestowed by the federal government rather than a right is a questionable plan to reverse Democrats’ dismal midterm prospects.
The gun control package is all but dead in the 50-50 Senate, but Republicans hoping for a midterm campaign boost may want progressives to emphasize the federal gun license proposal as much as possible.
