Emboldened by their newly-united government, Democrats, particularly Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) have already introduced a raft of new gun control legislation — most of which does not even yet have text.

The almost spray-and-pray tactic is a wish-list of liberal infringements on the hated Second Amendment.

We have HR 127 “To provide for the licensing of firearm and ammunition possession and the registration of firearms, and to prohibit the possession of certain ammunition.”

What that “certain ammunition” is, is unclear, but in the past the gun grabbers have railed against “armor piercing” ammunition (commonly purchased 5.56 mm NATO green tips, for instance) among others.

Indeed the Giffords Law Center specifically states:

Moreover, certain types of ammunition, such as armor-piercing handgun ammunition, 50 caliber rounds, and Black Talon bullets, pose a particular danger to the public and to law enforcement, and serve no legitimate sporting purpose. Strict controls on the manufacture, transfer, and possession of these types of ammunition can help promote public safety. 

Never mind that Black Talon (which were never armor piercing or uniquely deadly) has been off the market for public sale since 1993, and production ceased entirely in 2000. And .50 caliber covers a lot of ground from very common blackpowder hunting rifles, to sniper rifles to .50AE handgun rounds. But are so rarely used in actual crimes, that the Violence Policy center has to resort to peppering the few times someone actually shot at someone with one, with anecdotes of people simply possessing a Barrett .50 (or similar) when arrested for something else.

Note, well, Jackson-Lee not only wants you to have to register your firearms — not that they’d ever come confiscate them … comrade — but they want you to have to buy a federal license to buy or possess firearms or ammunition. 

Any half-way intelligent student of the Constitution would see this is a prima facie violation of not just the Second, but also the 10th Amendment as this is properly a decision for the Several States — if the incoming regime cared a whit for such things as the Constitution in the first place.

Next we have H.R.130 – “To require the safe storage of firearms and ammunition, and to require the investigation of reports of improper storage of firearms or ammunition.”

Well of course, who wouldn’t want firearms and ammo stored properly? Of course Barking Mad Jackson-Lee and I probably have very different definitions of what “properly” means, but the truly chilling part here is “… and to require the investigation of reports of improper storage …”

Surely your anti-gun neighbor won’t inform on you will he?

A few more from the hit parade:

H.R.167 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)

To prohibit the transfer of a firearm at a gun show by a person who is not a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Sponsor: Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9] (Introduced 01/04/2021) Cosponsors: (0)

H.R.121 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)

To provide for the hiring of 200 additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and investigators to enforce gun laws.

Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 01/04/2021) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Judiciary

H.R.135 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)

To require the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report to the Congress semiannually on the number of firearms transfers resulting from the failure to complete a background check within 3 business days, and the procedures followed after it is discovered that a firearm transfer has been made to a transferee who is ineligible to receive a firearm.

Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 01/04/2021) Cosponsors: (0)

There are as well, several bills by Republicans which would do a few things that make sense — like remove suppressors from the NFA list, concealed carry reciprocity and a few others. All — well I would say Dead On Arrival, but these are stillborn.

One bill that I will shortly be diving into in depth is H.R.30, the Gun Trafficking Prohibition Act, Sponsored by Bobby L. Rush, (D-Illinois). This one actually has text, rather than being just a shell, and is something that really bears watching.

One hopes that with (somewhat) conservative (relatively speaking) Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) basically holding more power than Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer (D-New York) much of this will remain a wish list, but if any of this passes, gun owners are in for dark days indeed.

One would also hope to have pushback from SCOTUS, but since the landmark Heller and McDonald decisions, SCOTUS has been remarkably — perhaps disturbingly — reluctant to take on any new gun rights cases. With the Court set to consider accepting a number of Second Amendment cases in the next few months, we’ll soon get a better idea of how strong an ally the Court will be in protecting our constitutional rights.