Second Amendment opponents are nothing if not consistent, and their latest effort is just another predictable volley against the Bill of Rights that is doomed to fail.
Of course, that does not keep them from trying.
The so-called “Keeping Gun Dealers Honest Act” wants to bring back the bad old days when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) bullied almost 200 licensed gun dealers out of business through heavy-handed tactics and zero tolerance.
Gun rights opponents cannot accept that the ATF’s ‘zero tolerance’ days are over
That ill-conceived and poorly executed zero-tolerance policy is now on the shelf thanks to a recent Trump administration reversal.
But anti-gunners in the U.S. Senate and House are at it again, and they want to go back to the future with federal overreach and foolhardy gun control mandates.
Proponents want to bully and intimidate gun dealers out of business
On July 1, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill to reverse recent progress and restore tyrannical federal firearm policies. Of course, his excuse was to bring the hammer down on dishonest gun dealers to eradicate trafficking.
“Holding gun dealers accountable who engage in illegal sales practices is a key component of any strategy to reduce the senseless gun violence plaguing our communities, “Markey claimed. “By increasing inspections and penalties, we can decrease the number of guns falling into the hands of those who should not have them. We need to strengthen accountability measures and equip federal officials with the tools to enforce the law so that we may prevent further gun violence from taking innocent lives.”
Not a mention of getting tougher on violent criminals themselves or giving law enforcement the manpower and resources to protect innocent civilians.
Instead, the focus is on instilling fear in gun dealers and ostracizing the Second Amendment-protected firearm industry. Markey knows this but is playing to his base of support to gain political points.
Not to be outdone, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced the controversial measure into the U.S. House. He also tried to paint harassing firearm dealers who are the first line of defense against illegal trafficking as the bad guys.
“When rogue dealers escape accountability for their illegal sales practices, like falsifying records or selling firearms without a background check, all Americans are put at risk,” Langevin declared. “This legislation will give the ATF the necessary resources to crack down on deadbeat gun dealers and redouble our efforts to keep deadly firearms out of the wrong hands.”
This is not the first rodeo for Markey and Langevin.
The anti-Second Amendment duo has a long track record of introducing this legislation and similar proposals. The goal is not to reduce crime, but rather to harass law-abiding businesses and individuals to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights.
Absent from their agenda is any recognition that the weapons industry is one of the most heavily regulated in the U.S. And they fail to recognize that these dealers they seek to run out of business are the very ones who are the best equipped to fight straw purchases and other illegal transactions.
These upstanding entrepreneurs are heavily invested in following the law. The last thing they need is for a valuable federal firearms license (FFL) to be yanked because of something underhanded.
But for anti-gunners, these businesspeople are the enemy.
Fortunately for gun rights—at least for now—the makeup of Washington, D.C. means that this proposal will likely circle the drain in 2025 and for the near future.
Still, it should serve as a warning and reminder that the opposition does not rest. It will stoop to any level to disarm good Americans, and those who treasure the Second Amendment must be diligent in the fight to preserve these sacred rights.
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