Welcome to Upside Down land:
U.S. Supreme Court's 1968 Haynes v. U.S. decision:
Haynes,
a convicted felon, was convicted of unlawful possession of an
unregistered short-barreled shotgun. He argued that for a convicted
felon to register a gun was effectively an announcement to the
government that he was breaking the law and that registration violated
his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. The court,
by an 8 - 1 margin, agreed, concluding:
"We
hold that a proper claim of the constitutional privilege against
self-incrimination provides a full defense to prosecutions either for
failure to register a firearm, or for possession of an unregistered
firearm." (Summary from American Rifleman, March 2000, page 20)
So,
when these gun registration schemes are announced, be aware that only
lawful gun-owners are required to register their firearms. Unlawful
owners are exempted from registration laws due to their constitutional
protection against self-incrimination. Amazing but true.
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