Posted on 03/03/2011 7:04:23 AM PST by shortstop
First they came for our bicycles.
Now they’ve come for our guns.
One day after word leaked of a New York State plan to require license plates and annual fees for bicycles, information has gotten out about pending legislation that would register and attach a fee to every firearm in the state.
Already one of the most anti-gun states in the country, New York’s move would all but nullify the Second Amendment.
At issue is Senate Bill 2994, which is linked in its entirety at the bottom of this column. It would require every gun owner in the state to make a list of their firearms, to include make, description and serial number, and file that list with the county clerk.
Further, gun owners would have to specify where in their homes each of their firearms were stored when not in use.
And there would be a $25 fee charged for each gun – which would have to be renewed annually at a cost of $10 each gun.
Firearms owners would be issued a photo ID listing the guns registered to their name.
If a gun was sold, swapped or stolen, that information would have to be filed with the clerk.
Failure to obey any particular of the proposed law would be a misdemeanor.
Why do they want to do this?
Here’s what a memo from the sponsor says: “Through the use of an annual firearm registration, we are able to have better tracking supervision of the firearms circulating in New York State. There are many firearms that are illegally possessed in New York State but by implementing a constant registry of firearms we can come a step closer to identifying those illegal firearms. Also with this annual registration of firearms, firearm owners are better protected by law if the firearm is stolen or lost and something unfortunately happens with their particular firearm.”
Better tracking supervision of the firearms circulating in New York?
Is it the government’s business to track or supervise the firearms in the state?
Notice that this bill isn’t just about handguns – which are already registered in the state – it is about all guns. That means family heirlooms and hunting guns are also subject to registration, and expensive ownership fees.
Registration is the foreplay of confiscation, and this piece of legislation would put the physical location of every legal gun in the state at the touch of the government’s finger. The government would know who had guns and where they kept them.
And so too, presumably, would anyone who filed a freedom of information request. New York has already held that its pistol permits – which include personal information as well as a list of handguns owned – are public records. This new list of guns and gun owners would also be a public record.
Which means the bad guys have just learned where every gun is. That tells them what houses are unprotected, that tells them what houses they should burglarize.
And with the list of where each gun is stored, it will make burglary all the easier.
This bill is an assault on freedom, a disrespect to the Second Amendment, and a perfect illustration of the burden of oppression New Yorkers suffer under. It is part of the ongoing enshackling of the American people.
It is the insane perspective of big-city liberals, this is a good thing. This is a play to a progressive constituency which is intolerant of any perspective other than its own.
Prospects for passage are uncertain.
New York’s governor is an anti-gun Democrat. New York’s Assembly is controlled by anti-gun Democrats. New York’s Senate is controlled by Republicans. But they have a one-vote margin, and – it being New York – some of them are anti-gun.
So this bill has a fair chance of becoming law.
Which means a test of how much people will take might be coming.
Because this is none of the government’s business. Gun ownership should not be subject to an annual fee. Gun registration is un-American. Carrying around a photo ID to prove you’ve registered your deer gun is offensive.
And many New Yorkers won’t take it.
This may be the one that drives the law-abiding into law-breaking.
Because my guns are none of the government’s business. And where I keep them is none of the government’s business. And I’m not going to pay an annual fee to exercise a constitutional right.
I am SO f***ing happy I left that bottom-feeder of a state.
Pffft... patently UnConstitutional.
I think guns mfg before 1898 are not considered firearms.
Just one more reason to move out'a Dodge.
Cue up the NRA...
NO - IT WON'T
NY arguably the worst anti-gun anti-self defense sh!thole in the US. NY needs to be given to Quebec killing two birds with one stone. Getting rid on NC and sticking it to Quebec.
it should say
NEW YORK PLANS Illegal Alien REGISTRATION
We should swap out all of New England for Alberta.
Who in their right mind would live in New York.
see tag
mostly works for me, but VT and NH aren’t too bad.
New York needs more Detroit experience.
Who in their right mind would even go there to visit and spend money there?
“Who in their right mind would live in New York.”
My 65 year old father in Upstate NY.
He says he’ll be the last conservative standing and will not be driven from his home.
The man’s a fighter.
I’ve been asking that question of myself a lot lately.
Would you believe that a New Yorker implied that I was crazy for calling NY an anti-self defense s**thole. I don't remember who.
"Although your State and local laws may vary, any firearm with a frame or receiver that actually made before Jan. 1, 1899 is legally "antique" and not considered a "firearm" under Federal law. This refers to the actual date of manufacture of the receiver/frame, not just model year or patent date marked. (For example, only ***low serial number*** Winchester Model 1894 lever actions are actually antique.) No FFL is required to buy or sell antiques across state lines. They are in the same legal category as a muzzle loading replica. I regularly ship them right to people's doorstep via UPS, with no "paper trail." Think of it as the last bastion of gun ownership and transfer privacy. "
L
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