New Gun_Grabber bill from Illinois (HR 45)

H.R. 45 - "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009" (Introduced in House)


From World Net Daily:

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., is hoping to pass a firearm-licensing bill that will significantly rewrite gun-ownership laws in America.

Among the more controversial provisions of the bill are requirements that all handgun owners submit to the federal government a photo, thumb print and mental heath records. Further, the bill would order the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer and owner's address in America.

The bill claims its purpose is "to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with the unrecorded sale or transfer of firearms to criminals and youth."

... not to get to excited, this is just another "Feel-Good" bill thrown out to make the Congressman look good to his gun-grabber constituents. Still, it's a harbinger of tomorrow's federal legislation.

If passed, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm" – defined as any handgun or any semiautomatic firearm that takes an ammunition clip – without a "Blair Holt" license.

To obtain a "Blair Holt" license, an application must be made that includes a photo, address, all previous aliases, thumb print, completion of a written firearm safety test, release of mental health records to the attorney general and a fee not to exceed $25.

Further, the bill makes it illegal to transfer ownership of a qualifying firearm to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector. Exceptions to this rule include transfer to family members by gift or bequest and loans, not to exceed 30 days, of a firearm for lawful purposes "between persons who are personally known to each other."

The bill also requires qualifying firearm owners to report all transfers to the attorney general's database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours or fail to report a change of address within 60 days.

And if a minor obtains a weapon and injures someone with it, the owner of the gun – if deemed to have failed to meet certain safety requirements – faces a multiple-year jail sentence.

H.R. 45 is a resurfacing of 2007's H.R. 2666, which contained much of the same language and was co-sponsored by 15 other representatives and Barack Obama's current chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel. H.R. 2666 was assigned to the House Judiciary committee, where no action was taken.

H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors and is likewise assigned to the House Judiciary committee.

The bad news is, this is just the first of many bills which we can expect to be presented to congress in the next four years of the Obama White House.

Is this "Ipso Facto" firearms registration? Yes, that would be the minimum effect of this (and any similar bills).

Sooner or later, somebody is going to propose a gun-grabber bill which is going to stick.

Expect it to be much more egregious than this 'touchy-feely' bill.

Just so you know, the Obama administration will probably encourage a continuing onslaught of bills restricting the Second Amendment.

The only "good thing" about the Obama election is that he will, ultimately, show George W. Bush as a more effective president, in terms of preserving constitutional rights.