Biden and ATF make preparations to create a national gun registry

by  • 
Joe Biden ATF national gun registry

Biden and ATF make preparations for creating a national gun registry

One of Joe Biden’s top priorities has been dismantling the Second Amendment, so it should come as no surprise to learn that he and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are making preparations to create a national gun registry to help him reach his goal.

He’s been working on this from the beginning.

Calling gun violence an “epidemic” and an “international embarrassment,” Biden rolled out a plethora of executive orders (or actions) back in April loaded with Washington doublespeak about how his agenda could be accomplished without violating the Second Amendment — which means, of course, the exact opposite.

Biden outlined six measures his administration would pursue to curb gun violence, including instructions for the Department of Justice to create a red flag law template for the states to use when writing their own legislation. And he also instructed the DOJ to create a national version of the unconstitutional gun-grabbing legislation, complete with incentives (bribe money) to give to states that pass red flag laws of their own.

Do you remember when Trump used his pen and phone to ban bump stocks by redefining the rifle attachment as a “machine gun” and therefore, making it subject to prohibition under the 1934 National Firearms Act banning machine guns? It was later ruled unconstitutional by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Perhaps inspired by Trump’s example, Biden issued an order in June to ban handguns by redefining them as “short barrel rifles” if they have been modified with stabilizing pistol braces; a change that would subject handguns to heightened regulations under the 1934 National Firearms Act and lead to the creation of a de facto gun registry for these firearms.

Biden’s DOJ provided this explanation for the order:

“[W]hen individuals use accessories to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles, they must comply with the heightened regulations on those dangerous and easily concealable weapons.

“[Stabilizing braces] make it easy for people to convert pistols into these more dangerous weapons without going through the statute’s background check and registration requirements.”

In response, Alex Bosco (inventor of the stabilizing brace and founder of the biggest manufacturer of them) determined that Biden’s order would result in “the largest gun registration, destruction, and confiscation scheme in American history.”

Gun owners who possess a handgun equipped with a stabilizing brace falling under the ATF’s new definition of a short-barreled rifle are required to pay a $200 tax stamp and apply to register the weapon with the agency as a rifle. If they choose not to do so, they are required to remove the brace or remove the short barrel and attach a 16-inch or longer barrel to the firearm to comply with National Firearms Act provisions. (emphasis mine)

Handgun owners using a stabilizing brace also have the option of destroying the weapon or turning it over to a local ATF office, which is essentially a form of gun confiscation.

In a July town hall hosted by CNN, Biden doubled-down on his intention to ban pistols and rifles:

“I’m the only guy that ever got — passed legislation when I was a senator to make sure we eliminated assault weapons.

“The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon, whether it’s a, whether it’s a 9mm pistol or whether it’s a rifle, is ridiculous.

“I’m continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things…” (emphasis mine)

Biden’s Freudian slip of the tongue — or Dementia-induced rambling — about eliminating handguns and rifles wasn’t all that surprising because it’s been his goal for a very long time (via Daily Wire):

Biden was a leading proponent and sponsor of the federal “assault weapons” ban, a subset of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Throughout his career, he has generally been supportive of curtailing Second Amendment rights. Biden has also supported mandating five-day waiting periods for gun purchases, as well as closing the alleged “gun show loophole.”

Biden supports a ban on the undefinable sub-class of firearms referred to as so-called “assault weapons” — a line of thought that, if taken to its logical conclusion, could lead to the banning of all semi-automatic firearms in America. (emphasis mine)

Recently, Joe Biden and the ATF proposed another rule that prepares the way for creating a national gun registry.

Specifically, Uncle Joe wants to remove the 20-year burn date that the federal firearms licensees (dealers) must abide by, thus requiring them to preserve firearm purchase records older than two decades.

Why is that a big deal? Because federal licensees are required by law to submit transaction records to the ATF when they shut down their business. Under the ATF rule change, every American gun owner’s record will eventually end up in the ATF’s hands, resulting, in effect, in the creation of a national gun registry.

Aidan Johnston, the director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, warned in a statement that the ATF would have every gun record going back to 2001 should the rule be enacted.

“If the Biden administration continues with its planned changes, ATF’s registry eventually will include 100% of firearm transactions – sucking up every record since 2001,” Johnston said.

“These plans for a national [gun] registry violate federal law, infringe on the Second Amendment, and put law-abiding gun owners on the path to total gun confiscation,” he continued.

If successful, Biden’s new rule would make guns equipped with such a brace illegal, requiring gun owners to either register them as rifles, forfeit them, or disassemble them. Failure to do so would subject them to being charged with a felony.

Despite his preparations to create a national gun registry, Joe Biden wants you to know that he and the ATF are operating completely within the confines of the Constitution because, after all, none of our rights are “absolute.”

“Nothing I’m about to recommend in any way impinges on the Second Amendment,” Biden said back in April. “They’re phony arguments suggesting these are Second Amendment rights at stake with what we’re talking about. But no amendment, no amendment to the Constitution is absolute.”

“So the idea is just bizarre to suggest that some of the things we’re recommending are contrary to the Constitution,” he added.

Trumpist Republicans have been leveraging Biden’s anti-Second Amendment agenda ahead of the upcoming midterms for political gain, but we need to remember that they weren’t all that committed to protecting our gun rights when Trump was in office.

During his tenure, Trump was actively pro-gun-control and anti-Second Amendment. For example: he openly embraced Nancy Pelosi’s gun-control agenda, pushed for enhanced background checks, and proposed expanding red flag laws on a national level — three priorities important to not only Joe Biden, but also to the Trumpists in the Republican Party.

Which likely means Joe Biden and the ATF will have no problem creating a national gun registry.

 

David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.

Follow the Strident Conservative on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to receive podcasts of his daily two-minute radio feature: iTunes | Stitcher | Tune In | RSS



sp;