Congressional Animal Farm
All special interest pigs are created equal, but some special-interest pigs are more equal than others.
Amidst all the kerfuffle over the Obama Porkulus Package and government takeover of the private sector, bevy of tax-dodging administration nominations, and odious executive orders, the stealth campaign against the United States Constitution continues.
Since the opening day of the 111th Congress, the B2J has received a slew of correspondence from friends and readers alarmed over a proposed bill, H.R. 45, Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009.
Agenda-driven abuse of office
Democrat Congressman Bobby Rush, current representative of the Illinois 1st 
District (Chicago's South Side) and former "community organizer" and founder of the militant Black Panther's Chicago Chapter, recently sponsored the bill to make it illegal to own a firearm unless it is registered with a Justice Department database in Washington D.C.
No big deal, you say? Au contraire, mes chers lecteurs. This was the first and most important step, the linchpin for total gun confiscation in Australia, England, and New Zealand (However, the Kiwis came to their senses soon after and repealed the whole bloody anti-gun mess).
As of this date, H.R. 45 has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The bill seeks, among many other nefarious provisions, to amend a key citizens' rights safeguard found in The Brady Handgun Control Act of 1993. By any measure, the bill is an abuse of reason, personal liberty, and States' rights. Constitutional enumeration of federal separation of powers is ignored.
The AG serves as Old Major's Napoleon
Under HR 45, you must:
Pass a complex test administered by the U.S. Attorney General;
Pay a significant annual tax;
Submit fingerprints, Social Security Number, Driver's License, and a biometric-capable photo (used for digital facial-recognition and as a de facto national ID) to be placed on public file; and
Submit mental and physical health records to be placed on public file.
Believe me when I tell you, there is much more hidden within this bill, and all of it contrary to the Constitution and bad for law-abiding, freedom-loving Americans. For example:
If you fail to meet any of these requirements, every gun you own will become contraband and subject to confiscation -- and you will stand trial before your eventual imprisonment. Imprisonment? Oh yes, two-, five- and ten-year sentences and fines for paperwork violations, possession violations, transfer violations, child-access violations, safe-storage violations and of course, failure to pass the test if you still keep your guns.
H.R. 45 also includes an innocent-looking line that says "strike the second sentence of 18 USC 926(a)." That "second sentence" prohibits the federal government from compiling and maintaining a central firearms owner registry.
The bill cleverly tamps down its iron-handedness by stating that "Only 'qualifying firearms' are affected. That means any handgun or any long gun -- about 70 percent of all U.S.-owned firearms -- that has a removable magazine (what they term a "detachable ammunition feeding device"). If the bill becomes law, it will be illegal for anyone to own or obtain such firearms -- even if already owned -- without a special federal license. There are grace periods up to two years to register yourself once the law is passed.
And you read rightly -- the bill proposes that the Attorney General (AG) administer its provisions. If one were paranoid, one would think it was placed under the AG to remove the law from the purview of our federal court system. No courts, no Heller vs District of Columbia. To better grasp the onus of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, please take the time to peruse Alan Korwin's detailed yet easy-reading analysis.
Orwellian madness
It is important to note that this Act will affect only law-abiding citizens. Criminals by definition and nature do not abide by laws. Gun laws and restrictions (more than 30,000 nationwide) only apply to the law-abiding citizen and are not written with the criminal in mind.
As you might expect, the bill covers exemptions for all "proper" authorities -- federal, state, local, military, elected, appointed, and even employees of government on the job -- twice. Again, if one were paranoid...
Although there may be more that apply, this bill directly violates the provisions of the Second, Tenth, and Fourteenth Amendments. The bill also seems to have neglected the provisions under the HIPAA Health Information Privacy Rule. And of course, there is the pesky little matter of the Constitution's Separation of Powers.
Contact your Member(s) of Congress as soon as possible to register your strong opposition to H.R. 45, Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. Then, Contact your two Senators with the same message, just in case this nightmare passes the House.
Extra Credit: Read the proposed H.R. 17, The Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2009 sponsored by Republican Representative Roscoe Bartlett, Sixth District of Maryland. H.R. 17 directly opposes H.R. 45 and would "protect the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms in defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the enforcement of such right."
Don't put it off -- Contact them today.