End of the Second Amendment?

HR 5717 - The End of the Second Amendment or Sick Political Theater?

You and I have something in common: We take gun rights seriously.

If we were U.S. Senators or Congressional Representatives, we would never spend time or effort to introduce legislation unless we honestly intended to make a real-world difference.

Unfortunately, that's not always how anti-gun politicians think. Sometimes they introduce bills they intend to pass. But all too often, they introduce legislation to virtue signal, raise funds, or get favorable press in the liberal media.

Such may be the case for HR 5717, the so-called "Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020," in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill is an encyclopedia of anti-gun proposals. If enacted, it could effectively erase the Second Amendment.

HR 5717 would ...

  • Create a licensing system for all guns and ammunition.
  • Introduce a national gun registry.
  • Impose universal background checks.
  • Raise the minimum age of firearm ownership to 21.
  • Ban nearly all semiautomatic rifles.
  • Ban suppressors and home builds.
  • Ban magazines with more than 10 rounds.
  • Require arbitrary safe storage rules and mandate gun locks.
  • Expand "gun-free zones."
  • Limit firearm purchases to one per month.
  • Implement national "Red Flag" gun confiscation.
  • Tax guns at 30% and ammunition at 50%.
  • Force gun sellers to comply with expensive new "security" rules.
  • And much more.

This is scary stuff. But can it pass? My guess is no.

One of the best ways to kill a bill is to load it down with every possible idea. This is such a mountain of gun control, it's unlikely to pass the current Republican-controlled Senate, and equally unlikely that a Republican President running for his second term would ever sign it.

Also, as of this writing, there are only 18 co-sponsors for HR 5717. Compare that to other federal gun control bills, such as HR 2708 with 191 co-sponsors, HR 1186 with 161 co-sponsors, or HR 1236 with 211 co-sponsors.

Finally, since being introduced on Jan. 30, 2020, nothing has happened with the bill. It is just sitting in a committee. No hearings. No votes. No anything.

Are bill supporters unaware of all this? Not likely. All signs point to this being sick political theater aimed to help the bill supporters grandstand. Or at least let's hope so.

Rest assured, we'll keep watching. If the situation changes, we'll let you know and take action immediately.

Dean Rieck is Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association, a former competitive shooter, NRA Patron Member, #1 NRA Recruiter for 2013, business owner and partner with Second Call Defense.

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