On Tuesday, January 8, 2008, the decider signed into law H.R. 2640, the "NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007," which requires information on individuals prohibited from possessing firearms to be transmitted by State and local government and Federal agencies to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
The bill authorizes up to $1.3 billion in grant money for states to improve their ability to track and report individuals who shouldn't qualify to buy a gun legally, including those involuntarily confined by a mental institution. Anyone ever convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or ajudicated for mental illness will now be included in the NICS system.
Veteran's are concerned that diagnosis given for even mild post-traumatic-stress-disorder, such as concussion, will not be allowed to obtain a firearm under HR 2640.
New York Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy introduced the bill in 2002 after a shooting that year in a church, but the legislation didn't gain momentum until after the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007. Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho was able to pass a background check and buy two guns even though a Virginia court had deemed him mentally defective.
The passing of this law is another vicious attack on the rights of the American people. I see this as a precursor of what to expect from the US Supreme Court in May on the 2nd Amendment. It covers the issue of Cho but has been deceitfully used to cover the vast majority of the United States.
In typical Bush slight-of-hand fashion, HR 2640 was slipped in while everyone had their eye on the New Hampshire Primary.
Reuters reports that the American people are losing interest in firearms and gun ownership is down over 30%. They attribute this loss of interest to the public wanting the world to have a better view of them. Hogwash!
Citibank is refusing to process firearm purchases by people using their credit cards. Simply not accepting payment is a good way to limit gun sales. Next I'll be hearing that firearms can't be purchased with cash!
By the time this is all said and done I expect only a small percentage of American citizens will have the right to own a firearm. Key indicators suggest a total ban is possible, but I can't really see that happening without total anarchy. I'm sure Dick Cheney will still be allowed to shoot people in the face though.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Decider Signs HR 2640 NICS Improvement Act
