Hot Air Tires to Reassure Gun Owners...and Fails Miserably

Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrisey attempt to divine the Senate votes on the Toomey Manchin bill and claims that Reid Coming Up Short on Gun Control Bill. On the other hand, anyone who could get that abomination, the ObamaCare bill through despite is unpopularity can not be under estimated.

I can not understand, for the life of me, why gun owners seem to think that any gun control, let alone increased background checks will have any effect on future Newtowns, or indeed on crime in general. I talk to folks who point out that they can pass a background check, so why should they fear? Unfortunately, these people either don't see, or turn a blind eye to the fact that we are dealing with people who are negotiating in bad faith. Once they get a universal background check bill in place, the demand will be to constantly expand the list of prohibited persons until virtually everyone is a prohibited person. That has already happened under the current regime of background checks, as veterans coming home have been put on the "no buy list," as have husbands who find themselves on the wrong side of a preemptive restraining order sought by a vengeful wife. a Justice Department study shows 40% get their guns from friends or family members, another 40% get their guns from the street and illegal sources, but less than 9% get their guns from retail outlets, while only 0.7% get them from gun shows. So, criminals will largely be untouched by any change in the law. They will still steal them from family, or get them on the black market.

The bill makes a showing of saying that the Attorney General may not make a registry of the 4473 forms held by currently licenced dealers.  But the Attorney General could make a registry of the 4473s of retired, or out of business FFLs.  And, don't forget that DHS could make a registry of current licensees data and share that with the Attorney General.  So, at some point in the future, a law like that in Connecticut is passed that bans, among others, your Ruger Ranch Rife.  You are required to turn them all in, including that expensive semiautomatic shot gun you use for pheasant hunting every year.  You refuse.  But DHS has your name on a list.  Would you like to have a DHS swat team, in an armoured personnel carrier show up at your door?  Wouldn't that be exciting?   You can read more about the devil in the details at The Volokh Conspiracy, where Dave Kopel lays them all out. Of course, in addition to these sneaky traps, there will be amendments. Each amendment that passes will also add a Senator or two to the list of those voting "aye." The gun grabbers, who lost the gun control debate over the last 50 years, have pretended that we never had this discussion, and have reignited the debate again. The fact that even the Senators who have put forward these bills, including Diane Feinstein, Little Chucky Schumer, Pat Toomey, and Joe Manchin understand that nothing they are proposing would have prevented Sandy Hook or any other mass shooting. At the same time, these people resist doing anything that might have helped, including putting armed people in the schools to protect the defenseless children sitting there like ducks at a shooting gallery. What does that tell you? It tells me that they really don't care that our children are being killed, what they want is a disarmed and compliant America. Mao was right about one thing, that power comes from the barrel of a gun, and they want a monopoly of power. If the Second Amendment falls, look for your other rights to be gone as well, for it is the Second Amendment that gives teeth to the others. Ed Morrisey:

Addendum: Does Manchin-Toomey have a prayer of passing the House if even a couple of Democrats oppose it in the Senate? I highly doubt it, which is another reason this won’t be a terrible outcome for gun owners.

Morrisey has more faith than I do that we will weather the current storm. I believe if it passes, Mr. Boehner can not be counted on the prevent it getting to the floor of the House. If it does, it could be anybody's guess.