Right now, a lot of Americans have their minds focused on a lot of things besides politics. Investments are crashing, a deadly disease is infecting our very neighborhoods, and many people technically have jobs, they’re just not allowed to go to work because they’re considered non-critical. It’s a bad time and a lot of people are focused on that.
It’s really pretty understandable.
The truth is, we saw this pandemic coming well before the World Health Organization declared it as such on March 11.
So Georgia Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson doesn’t get a pass on trying to pull this while people are distracted elsewhere.
H. R. 5717
To end the epidemic of gun violence and build safer communities by strengthening Federal firearms laws and supporting gun violence research, intervention, and prevention initiatives.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJanuary 30, 2020Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mr. Morelle, Ms. DeLauro, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Keating, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Pressley, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Neal, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, and Mr. Pascrell) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILLTo end the epidemic of gun violence and build safer communities by strengthening Federal firearms laws and supporting gun violence research, intervention, and prevention initiatives.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.(a) Short Title.—This Act may be cited as the “Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020”.
(b) Table Of Contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 101. License to own firearms and ammunition.
Sec. 102. State firearms licensing.
Sec. 201. Universal background checks.
Sec. 202. Completion of background checks; 7-day waiting period.
Sec. 203. Reporting of background check denials.
Sec. 301. Protecting victims of domestic violence.
Sec. 302. Fugitives from justice.
Sec. 303. Minimum age for purchasing firearms and ammunition.
Sec. 304. Secure gun storage by owners.
Sec. 305. Secure gun storage or safety device for all firearms.
Sec. 306. Consumer product safety standards for gun locks and gun safes.
Sec. 307. Gun-free school zones.
Sec. 401. Extreme risk protection order grant program.
Sec. 402. Federal extreme risk protection orders.
Sec. 403. Federal firearms prohibition.
Sec. 404. Identification records.
Sec. 405. Conforming amendment.
Sec. 406. Full faith and credit.
Sec. 511. Definitions.
Sec. 512. Restrictions on assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Sec. 513. Penalties.
Sec. 514. Use of Byrne grants for buy-back programs for semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Sec. 515. Ban on untraceable and undetectable firearms.
Sec. 516. Prohibition on possession of certain firearm accessories.
Sec. 521. Definition.
Sec. 522. Restrictions on firearm silencers and firearm mufflers.
Sec. 523. Penalties.
Sec. 524. Effective date.
Sec. 601. Prohibition against multiple firearm sales or purchases.
Sec. 602. Increased penalties for making knowingly false statements in connection with firearms.
Sec. 603. Retention of records.
Sec. 604. Revised definition.
Sec. 605. Firearms trafficking.
Sec. 701. Gun shop security measures.
Sec. 702. Inspections.
Sec. 703. Employee background checks.
Sec. 704. Gun store thefts.
Sec. 705. Civil enforcement.
Sec. 706. No effect on State laws governing dealing in firearms.
Sec. 707. Lost and stolen reporting requirement.
Sec. 708. Report on implementation.
Sec. 709. Enhanced record keeping requirements.
Sec. 710. Deadline for issuance of final regulations.
Sec. 711. Repeal.
Sec. 801. Repeal.
Sec. 802. Repeal of exclusion of pistols, revolvers, and other firearms from consumer product safety laws.
Sec. 803. Increase in excise taxes relating to firearms.
Sec. 901. Community violence intervention grant program.
Sec. 902. Funding for research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.
As you can see from all of this, what we have here is basically a single bill that pushes forward with everything the Democrats have been harping on these past couple of years. Everything from red flag orders to gun purchase licensing.
The bill currently has 18 cosponsors, which isn’t as many as one might think for something like this, which raises questions about whether this actually goes too far for the current crop of Democrats. It just might.
While Democrats generally love them some assault weapon bans and things of that sort, they know gun licensing isn’t a winning position for them. A lot of people are uncomfortable going that far. While many support various limits on the Second Amendment, they feel that requiring a license to purchase a gun goes beyond just limits and essentially makes the Second Amendment null and void.
For many of us, that’s a distinction we don’t really get. The amendment says it “shall not be infringed” and yet it is, so why do they balk at one more infringement?
That’s not how many normally anti-gun people see it. They figure that so long as you have a firearm available for purchase, your right isn’t really infringed. Yes, it’s a BS argument, but that’s how they see it.
Licensing, however, changes that. As such, they can’t back it.
But wouldn’t a long-time congressman like Johnson know better? Probably not. He’s been alive longer than he’s been in Congress and he didn’t realize that Guam wouldn’t actually tip over, so there’s that.
Still, I can’t help but feel like this was meant to fly under the radar during this difficult time. After all, most eyes are on the pandemic gripping our nation.
On behalf of the state of Georgia, I’d like to apologize for this dipstick. He isn’t my rep, so I can’t vote him out, but I’m still sorry we inflicted him on the rest of the nation.
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