Nearly a year ago, as his grip on the Democratic nomination tightened, Joe Biden slung an arm around failed rival Beto O’Rourke and pledged to put him in charge of the nation’s gun policy.
“I’m going to guarantee you, this is not the last you’ve seen of this guy,” Biden said while side-hugging O’Rourke at a campaign event in Texas.
“You’re going to take care of the gun problem with me. You’re going to be the one that leads this effort. I’m counting on you.”
Another Texas Democrat, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, may have beaten Beto to the punch.
Lee has introduced the “Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act,” which is a gun-grabber’s dream legislation.
The bill, if enacted, would create a registration system requiring gun owners to provide the government the “make, model, and serial number of the firearm, the identity of the owner of the firearm, the date the firearm was acquired by the owner, and where the firearm is or will be stored; and a notice specifying the identity of any person to whom, and any period of time during which, the firearm will be loaned to the person.”
In addition, the attorney general must create a database of all registered guns.
And the federal government would require a license to own guns, with special licensing required for “military-style guns.
Applicants would be required to meet certain conditions. They include: being at least 21; undergoing a criminal background check; sitting for a psychological evaluation that must not “indicate that the individual is psychologically unsuited to possess a firearm; successfully completing a government-certified training course in how to use and store firearms; and providing proof of insurance policy, costing $800 a year, to cover liability related to “losses and damages resulting from the use of any firearm.”
Regarding that psyche exam, it must be conducted by a psychologist approved by the attorney general. And it would not be limited to the gun owner.
“As deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist involved, the evaluation included a psychological evaluation of other members of the household in which the individual resides,” the bill says.
Moreover, “as part of the psychological evaluation, the licensed psychologist interviewed any spouse of the individual, any former spouse of the individual, and at least 2 other persons who are a member of the family of, or an associate of, the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional, and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms.”
Finally, the license would also apply to owning ammo.
And you could forget about giving guns as gifts, unless you have the attorney general’s permission, and the person is over 18.
Violations would be punishable by hefty fines, and between five years and 25 years in prison.
As of Tuesday, Jackson’s bill did not have any co-sponsors.
Accordingly, wrote Reason magazine columnist Jacob Sullum, “It is unlikely to make much progress.”
But, he added, it still deserves attention.
“It reflects a broader mindset in the Democratic Party, which used to at least pay lip service to the Second Amendment but lately talks and acts as if it does not exist. Proposals like Lee’s help make Biden’s gun control agenda look moderate and reasonable by comparison. But his attitude, like hers, shows that Democrats would be perfectly happy to expurgate the Bill of Rights if only the courts would let them.”