Federal Universal Background Checks

semajg · Mar 10, 2015

Haven't seen this posted here yet. Unsubstantiated since the text hasn't been released, but it seems Universal Background Checks (UBCs) have been re-introduced recently in the House of Representatives. This bill was co-Sponsored by:
Peter King (R-NY-2nd district)
Elizabeth Etsy (D-CT-5th district)
Patrick Meehan (R-PA-7th district)
Mike Thompson (D-CA-5th district)
Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8th district)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS-2nd district)
Bob Dold (R-IL-10th district)
Kathleen Rice (D-NY-4th district)

H.R.1217 - To protect Second Amendment rights, ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and provide a responsible and consistent background check process.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1217/text
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c114:H.R.1217:

The full text has not yet been received/published by the Library of Congress yet so I can't read the details.
However, nice of them to call it the bill to "protect Second Amendment rights" when clearly based on that last line they mean to introduce a UBC process again.

I'll try and check often and report back when the text has been published.

44Brent · Mar 10, 2015

usagi · Mar 14, 2015

if they can have universal background checks, we can have universal reciprocity.

Jamie6.5 · Mar 14, 2015

The text of the bill is available here:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr1217/BILLS-114hr1217ih.xml

The text relevant to UBCs is here:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/...7ih.xml#toc-H86EE7E6CC54E446CB94F395DF01076B4

Considering the fact that there is no way to know whether a gun has been transferred from one legal owner to another without the model and serial number of the gun associated with, or identified as, in the initial owners possession, there is no way to implement a UBC law of this type without a firearms registry.

The very notion that a scheme like this can exist without circumventing the 1986 FOPA verbiage regarding a federal gun database is disingenuous at best, and for the most part, an outright lie.
A database in the hands of a state, that is accessible and/or searchable by the feds is no less of a firearms registry.
The budget listed in this bill starts with $100Million allocated for grants to the states for implementation of this nightmare.
If you think for a minute that the feds won't withhold those, and any future funds if they are refused access to a state's firearm registry, I have a bridge to sell you.

Stomper · Mar 14, 2015

Washington state currently has a UBC via the latest voting fiasco, and Oregon is fast tracking UBC legislation with no viable way to stop it as we type....

The puzzle pieces are being made apparent, yes?