Thursday, May 22, 2014

USA - Why Gun Owners Won’t Agree To Universal Background Checks Read more at http://libertycrier.com/why-gun-owners-wont-agree-to-universal-background-checks/#92Ok0uVwZHF7cO22.99

OFF THE WIRE
Gun control groups (including the Obama White House) have been pushing hard for new laws and restrictions on firearms. One of their biggest dreams is to have what is known as a “universal background check” (UBC). The gun control groups see this as a panacea to stop violence. They believe that if they set up a system of background checks they will be able to prevent violent criminals and mentally ill people from obtaining firearms.

The gun control groups rely heavily on distortion, mind-control, loaded language, and manipulation. They use the loaded term “common sense” a lot. They try to convince people that universal background checks are “common sense” gun laws. And, in their twisted mind-controlled world, if you don’t support it you’re against “common sense” (…and you probably eat babies and kick puppies too!)

Gun control and registration schemes are not “common sense”. First, it’s not even ‘common’ because (according to a Gallup Poll) fewer Americans want stricter firearms laws. Only 26% of Americans support the idea of banning handguns. The majority of Americans want to keep gun laws as they are now or make them less strict. Second, it makes no sense because historical evidence proves that gun registration eventually leads to gun confiscation. The only “common sense” laws regarding guns are the 4 Laws of Gun Safety.

The problem with universal background check (UBC) laws is that they will inevitably lead to a centralized database of gun owners and guns. People who support gun control deny this. They say that this is just paranoid fear mongering on the part of the pro-gun side. But, is it?

NICS logoGun tracing began after the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which requires licensed gun dealers to collect certain information when a firearm is sold. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (i.e., “The Brady Act”) expanded this by establishing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It was launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998. NICS is used by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms. Before ringing up the sale, cashiers request a check of NICS to ensure that the customer doesn’t have a criminal record or isn’t otherwise ineligible to make a purchase. Buyers must assert they are at least 21 and not a felon, a fugitive, an illegal alien or mentally ill. Dealers (FFLs) are required to list the information on BATFE “Form 4473,” along with the firearm’s serial numbers, to allow law enforcement to trace guns to their original purchasers.

According to the FBI:

    “The privacy and security of the information in the NICS is of great importance. In October 1998, the Attorney General published regulations on the privacy and security of NICS information, including the proper and official use of this information. The NICS is not to be used to establish a federal firearm registry; information about an inquiry resulting in an allowed transfer is destroyed in accordance with NICS regulations. Current destruction of NICS records became effective when a final rule was published by the Department of Justice in The Federal Register, outlining the following changes. Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 25.9(b)(1), (2), and (3), the NICS Section must destroy all identifying information on allowed transactions prior to the start of the next NICS operational day.”

President Obama, using Executive Orders, has pushed for changes to the regulations surrounding privacy and data retention. Specifically: where the data from NICS is stored and the amount of time it can be stored. This change would amend part 25 of title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations to “enhance the efficiency.” The change would “permit NICS to retain in a separate database its Audit Log records related to denied transactions beyond 10 years…” Changes to the Privacy Act of 1974 were also made in June of 1998. The Federal Register (Vol. 63, Issue 107) states:

    “Records are retrieved by name, sex, race, date of birth, state of residence, the NICS Transaction Number, FFL number, and, in some instances, unique numeric identifier, e.g., a Social Security number or a military identification number. (A Social Security number is not required by the NICS.)

    In cases where the NICS background check does not locate a disqualifying record, information about the individual will only be retained temporarily for audit purposes and will be destroyed after eighteen months. The system will not contain any details about the type of firearm which is the subject of the proposed transfer (other than the fact that it is a handgun or a long gun) or whether a sale or transfer of a firearm has actually taken place.)

    When a Federal, State, or local agency places information in the NICS Index, it uses its agency identifier and a unique agency record identifier for each record provided to the NICS. Federal, State, or local agencies can modify or cancel only the data that they have provided to NICS Index. Information provided by other Federal agencies or State or local governments will be maintained in the NICS Index unless updated or deleted by the agency/government which contributed the data.

    The FBI will maintain an Audit Log of all NICS transactions. Firearms transaction approvals will be maintained for eighteen months. The NICS Transaction Number (the unique number assigned to the NICS transaction) and the date on which it was assigned will be maintained indefinitely. Information related to firearms transfer denials will be retained for 10 years and then disposed of as directed by the National Achives and Record Administration.”

These changes open the door for a centralized database (and long term storage) of guns and gun owners. The original language of the law protected the privacy of gun owners. It stated that the FBI “must destroy all identifying information on allowed transactions prior to the start of the next NICS operational day”. In other words: after the background check is completed, the data related to that check must be destroyed within 24 hours.

The changes circumvent those rules by allowing data storage for 18 months for approved background checks and 10 years for failed ones. But, the biggest change is the part about: “other Federal agencies or State or local governments”. The FBI isn’t allowed to store information about your gun’s serial number in the NICS database. But, that doesn’t prevent DHS, the ATF, or your local law enforcement from doing so. In fact, once a local law enforcement agency adds data to NICS, the FBI isn’t allowed to delete it.

ATF agents raid a gun store to copy gun owner recordsATF agents have been visiting gun shops around the country requesting their 4473 forms as far back as 2007. The ATF also is making copies of the “bound book” which is the FFL’s log of gun sales. During the background check via NICS only partial information is sent to the FBI. But, the bound book contains specific information about the firearm and the person buying it. Once the third-party agency enters this information into NICS it becomes permanently attached to the record.

Regardless of what the anti-gun side says, their ultimate goal is a complete ban on the civilian ownership of firearms. They’ve studied this in great detail and will stop at nothing until they’ve achieved their goal. Nelson Shields (the chairman of the Brady Campaign) said: “Our ultimate goal, total control of handguns, is going to take time. The first problem is to slow down production and sales. Next is to get registration. The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and ammunition (with a few exceptions) totally illegal.” Other anti-gun politicians, like Dianne Feinstein and Andrew Cuomo, are going after rifles. Feinstein has notoriously said: “If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate … for an outright ban, picking up every one of them —Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ‘em all in— I would have done it.”

The United Nations (U.N.) has been pushing everyone to sign the Small Arms TreatyThis also ties in with the goals of the United Nations. The U.N. wants to control who has weapons, what type of weapons they have, and they want to create a list of “legitimate” activities that you are allowed perform with firearms. The 3 steps that they plan to take to achieve this goal are:

1) regulating specific types and characteristics of small arms and light weapons;
2) regulating civilian uses of small arms; and
3) regulating civilian users of small arms.

To regulate firearms and users of firearms the government (and by extension, the U.N.) needs to build a database. The Obama administration has already submitted a budget which lays the groundwork for a Universal Gun Registry. Attorney General Eric Holder has all-but-admitted that Obama intends to implement a Universal Gun Registry by executive fiat. In his proposed budget increase for the FBI, Holder had this to say: “This program enhancement will double the capacity of NICS. These expansions are vital in ensuring that the NICS system can support a Universal Background Check requirement, which is expected to double gross NICS transactions.”

Basically, Holder asked for $100 million and 524 personnel to implement a program that Congress already rejected. Holder also asked for $51.1 million and 255 agents (and other personnel) for “enforcement and inspections”. He wants to add more ATF agents to copy 4473 forms to continue building the FBI’s gun database.

Gun owners are aware of what is going on. The Second Amendment never made any exclusions for types of arms or said: ‘… as long as you keep track of who owns them’. In fact, the founding fathers went out of their way to say that the right to keep and bear arms ‘shall not be infringed‘ . Building a database of gun owners and the guns they own is the biggest infringement possible and, it’s also a precursor to confiscation. Some politicians have proposed ways to improve screening for the mentally ill or people with a history of violent behavior. If the real purpose of universal background checks is ‘public safety’ (as gun control supporters claim) then they should be willing to work with gun owners to solve the problem. But, it’s not the real purpose. The REAL purpose of the universal background check is to build a database of gun owners and that  is why free citizens will continue to oppose it.

Read more at http://libertycrier.com/why-gun-owners-wont-agree-to-universal-background-checks/#92Ok0uVwZHF7cO22.99
President Obama, using Executive Orders, has pushed for changes to the regulations surrounding privacy and data retention. Specifically: where the data from NICS is stored and the amount of time it can be stored. This change would amend part 25 of title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations to “enhance the efficiency.” The change would “permit NICS to retain in a separate database its Audit Log records related to denied transactions beyond 10 years…” Changes to the Privacy Act of 1974 were also made in June of 1998. The Federal Register (Vol. 63, Issue 107) states:
“Records are retrieved by name, sex, race, date of birth, state of residence, the NICS Transaction Number, FFL number, and, in some instances, unique numeric identifier, e.g., a Social Security number or a military identification number. (A Social Security number is not required by the NICS.)
In cases where the NICS background check does not locate a disqualifying record, information about the individual will only be retained temporarily for audit purposes and will be destroyed after eighteen months. The system will not contain any details about the type of firearm which is the subject of the proposed transfer (other than the fact that it is a handgun or a long gun) or whether a sale or transfer of a firearm has actually taken place.)
When a Federal, State, or local agency places information in the NICS Index, it uses its agency identifier and a unique agency record identifier for each record provided to the NICS. Federal, State, or local agencies can modify or cancel only the data that they have provided to NICS Index. Information provided by other Federal agencies or State or local governments will be maintained in the NICS Index unless updated or deleted by the agency/government which contributed the data.
The FBI will maintain an Audit Log of all NICS transactions. Firearms transaction approvals will be maintained for eighteen months. The NICS Transaction Number (the unique number assigned to the NICS transaction) and the date on which it was assigned will be maintained indefinitely. Information related to firearms transfer denials will be retained for 10 years and then disposed of as directed by the National Achives and Record Administration.”
These changes open the door for a centralized database (and long term storage) of guns and gun owners. The original language of the law protected the privacy of gun owners. It stated that the FBI “must destroy all identifying information on allowed transactions prior to the start of the next NICS operational day”. In other words: after the background check is completed, the data related to that check must be destroyed within 24 hours.
The changes circumvent those rules by allowing data storage for 18 months for approved background checks and 10 years for failed ones. But, the biggest change is the part about: “other Federal agencies or State or local governments”. The FBI isn’t allowed to store information about your gun’s serial number in the NICS database. But, that doesn’t prevent DHS, the ATF, or your local law enforcement from doing so. In fact, once a local law enforcement agency adds data to NICS, the FBI isn’t allowed to delete it.
ATF agents raid a gun store to copy gun owner recordsATF agents have been visiting gun shops around the country requesting their 4473 forms as far back as 2007. The ATF also is making copies of the “bound book” which is the FFL’s log of gun sales. During the background check via NICS only partial information is sent to the FBI. But, the bound book contains specific information about the firearm and the person buying it. Once the third-party agency enters this information into NICS it becomes permanently attached to the record.
Regardless of what the anti-gun side says, their ultimate goal is a complete ban on the civilian ownership of firearms. They’ve studied this in great detail and will stop at nothing until they’ve achieved their goal. Nelson Shields (the chairman of the Brady Campaign) said: “Our ultimate goal, total control of handguns, is going to take time. The first problem is to slow down production and sales. Next is to get registration. The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and ammunition (with a few exceptions) totally illegal.” Other anti-gun politicians, like Dianne Feinstein and Andrew Cuomo, are going after rifles. Feinstein has notoriously said: “If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate for an outright ban, picking up every one of them —Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ‘em all in— I would have done it.”
The United Nations (U.N.) has been pushing everyone to sign the Small Arms TreatyThis also ties in with the goals of the United Nations. The U.N. wants to control who has weapons, what type of weapons they have, and they want to create a list of “legitimate” activities that you are allowed perform with firearms. The 3 steps that they plan to take to achieve this goal are:
1) regulating specific types and characteristics of small arms and light weapons;
2) regulating civilian uses of small arms; and
3) regulating civilian users of small arms.
To regulate firearms and users of firearms the government (and by extension, the U.N.) needs to build a database. The Obama administration has already submitted a budget which lays the groundwork for a Universal Gun Registry. Attorney General Eric Holder has all-but-admitted that Obama intends to implement a Universal Gun Registry by executive fiat. In his proposed budget increase for the FBI, Holder had this to say: “This program enhancement will double the capacity of NICS. These expansions are vital in ensuring that the NICS system can support a Universal Background Check requirement, which is expected to double gross NICS transactions.”
Basically, Holder asked for $100 million and 524 personnel to implement a program that Congress already rejected. Holder also asked for $51.1 million and 255 agents (and other personnel) for “enforcement and inspections”. He wants to add more ATF agents to copy 4473 forms to continue building the FBI’s gun database.
Gun owners are aware of what is going on. The Second Amendment never made any exclusions for types of arms or said: ‘… as long as you keep track of who owns them’. In fact, the founding fathers went out of their way to say that the right to keep and bear arms ‘shall not be infringed . Building a database of gun owners and the guns they own is the biggest infringement possible and, it’s also a precursor to confiscation. Some politicians have proposed ways to improve screening for the mentally ill or people with a history of violent behavior. If the real purpose of universal background checks is ‘public safety’ (as gun control supporters claim) then they should be willing to work with gun owners to solve the problem. But, it’s not the real purpose. The REAL purpose of the universal background check is to build a database of gun owners and that  is why free citizens will continue to oppose it.

Read more at http://libertycrier.com/why-gun-owners-wont-agree-to-universal-background-checks/#92Ok0uVwZHF7cO22.99

Gun control groups (including the Obama White House) have been pushing hard for new laws and restrictions on firearms. One of their biggest dreams is to have what is known as a “universal background check” (UBC). The gun control groups see this as a panacea to stop violence. They believe that if they set up a system of background checks they will be able to prevent violent criminals and mentally ill people from obtaining firearms.
The gun control groups rely heavily on distortion, mind-control, loaded language, and manipulation. They use the loaded term “common sense” a lot. They try to convince people that universal background checks are “common sense” gun laws. And, in their twisted mind-controlled world, if you don’t support it you’re against “common sense” (and you probably eat babies and kick puppies too!)
Gun control and registration schemes are not “common sense”. First, it’s not even ‘common’ because (according to a Gallup Poll) fewer Americans want stricter firearms laws. Only 26% of Americans support the idea of banning handguns. The majority of Americans want to keep gun laws as they are now or make them less strict. Second, it makes no sense because historical evidence proves that gun registration eventually leads to gun confiscation. The only “common sense” laws regarding guns are the 4 Laws of Gun Safety.
The problem with universal background check (UBC) laws is that they will inevitably lead to a centralized database of gun owners and guns. People who support gun control deny this. They say that this is just paranoid fear mongering on the part of the pro-gun side. But, is it?
NICS logoGun tracing began after the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which requires licensed gun dealers to collect certain information when a firearm is sold. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (i.e., “The Brady Act”) expanded this by establishing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It was launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998. NICS is used by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms. Before ringing up the sale, cashiers request a check of NICS to ensure that the customer doesn’t have a criminal record or isn’t otherwise ineligible to make a purchase. Buyers must assert they are at least 21 and not a felon, a fugitive, an illegal alien or mentally ill. Dealers (FFLs) are required to list the information on BATFE “Form 4473,” along with the firearm’s serial numbers, to allow law enforcement to trace guns to their original purchasers.
According to the FBI:
“The privacy and security of the information in the NICS is of great importance. In October 1998, the Attorney General published regulations on the privacy and security of NICS information, including the proper and official use of this information. The NICS is not to be used to establish a federal firearm registry; information about an inquiry resulting in an allowed transfer is destroyed in accordance with NICS regulations. Current destruction of NICS records became effective when a final rule was published by the Department of Justice in The Federal Register, outlining the following changes. Per Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 25.9(b)(1), (2), and (3), the NICS Section must destroy all identifying information on allowed transactions prior to the start of the next NICS operational day.”

Read more at http://libertycrier.com/why-gun-owners-wont-agree-to-universal-background-checks/#92Ok0uVwZHF7cO22.99