Jim,
The article forwarded by J.B.G. re: the Connecticut gun registration photo/article for ARs and high capacity magazines (‘Looks Like Weimar Germany’: The Viral Photo Out of Connecticut That’s Giving Some Gun Owners Chills) is really just the tip of the iceberg. This legislation was really designed to ultimately refine and maintain the firearm registry in the state that is already in existence for all firearms.
The State police have been collecting and storing all firearms transactions for many years here. The Federal Government by law must destroy all the data gained from background checks for firearm purchasing. The Connecticut state police have no such restrictions. I can find no legislative authority that allows them to do this but it is being done and has been done for many years. If you are stopped for a traffic violation et cetera and the officer runs your Connecticut drivers license, all the firearms you have purchased in Connecticut in the last dozen years or so will show up on his computer..
My neighbor received a letter from the state reminding him that he must register his ARs. I know he purchased them several years ago so as you can see that they already knew he had them.
Pistol permits of course, have always been recorded and collected by the State police as well as any pistol purchase data. Now the new law requires a long gun certificate to purchase any legal rifle or shotgun and this data is also recorded and will include data from private sales or gifts as well. My son will need to pass a background check in order to accept a rifle as a gift from me.
As I said, the law has been designed to ultimately capture all the guns residing in the state.
None of my firearms are currently in the registry as the purchase of them predates this ‘illegal’ [and unconstitutional] registration. But as we old guys pass away, our heirs have no choice but to endure transfer and registration unless they move them out of state.
In effect, this will insure over time that all the firearms in the state will become part of the registry. This model is what our current administration would like to enact for our entire country. As you know, none of this will make us any safer but it’s really about control not safety.
Of course, all felons will be exempt from participating .
Regards, – X. from Connecticut
JWR Replies: I encourage my readers to ignore unconstitutional laws. Lex mala, lex nulla. But if and when you ever come under government prosecution, then be prepared for a legal battle all the way through a lengthy appeals process. In the end, we shall prevail, but there will be plenty of angst, in the interim. Living through that is part of the price that we pay for our freedom. If you don’t have the means to fight a protracted legal battle, then hide your banned guns very well. (You probably won’t want to be “the test case.”)