As discussed before, Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) proposed legislation to ban so-called "assault weapons" would amount to gun confiscation for many tens of thousands of peaceable, responsible, law abiding Americans. For the rest of the owners of these politically incorrect firearms, Feinstein's (as yet unreleased, but described in some detail) bill would merely mean a requirement for registration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
Saying that the legislation would "merely mean registration" somewhat implies that registration does not lead to confiscation--that ease of confiscation is not, indeed, pretty much the point of registration. That notion is probably a tough sell for anyone who has followed the history of gun politics, both in the U.S. and abroad. Feinstein's home state, in fact, received "extra credit" in the Brady Campaign's ranking of states for anti-gun tyranny, specifically for using the gun registry for the purpose of wholesale confiscations.
Meanwhile, Americans are buying so-called "assault weapons" at a pace never seen before, and gun shows are packed like never before (see sidebar video), with "assault weapons," and ammo in calibers most associated with such firearms being by far the most highly sought items. At Midway USA, a huge online supplier of gun parts, ammunition and accessories, AR-15 magazines (of any size), upper receivers, and ammunition in .223 Remington or 5.56mm NATO are simply not to be had (generally not even via backorder)--and the rest of the gun retail world is in the same boat. One notable exception, by the way, is manufacturer Daniel Defense (known mostly for high-quality AR-15 parts), who had prepared for this, and is still serving the buying public--without a price hike.
Think about that. With the specter of registration (not to mention confiscation) looming, Americans are buying precisely the things to be registered (not to mention confiscated) faster than manufacturers and distributors can keep up. Even the idea that much of the buying is with an eye toward selling at a profit later does not make much sense, as Feinstein's law would make resale awkward, slow, and expensive.
People don't buy expensive (especially expensive now) gear just to have something to turn over to Feinstein when she finally gets to say, "Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in." The kind of American most likely to want AR-15s tends also to be the type least eager to register them with the government--particularly not a government agency as historically hostile to private gun ownership as is the BATFE (our "most hated federal agency," before "Project Gunwalker").
In other words, Feinstein proposes to make millions of new "gun criminals" out of decent Americans. So be it. How does she intend to arrest us, and whom does she propose do the arresting?
See also:
- Brady Campaign awards 'extra credit' to prove registration leads to confiscation
- Threat to private gun sales might be greater than threat to 'assault weapons'
- Feinstein's 'assault weapon' ban would be tantamount to confiscation
- Old Yellowstain Boehner and his leadership pals already prepared to sell us out on Feinstein's "Intolerable Act."
- Feinstein's 'assault weapon' ban probably not gun grabbers' main effort
- Background checks for gun purchases rise sharply
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