Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Biden Executive Orders More Gun Control

Working from the Ammoland description:

One of President Biden’s stated goals is universal background checks. To get closer to his goal, he will order the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to change the definition of someone engaged in the business of selling firearms. Most states allow gun owners to sell their firearms through private transactions without paying a federal firearms licensee (FFL) to transfer the gun.

The courts will never uphold a single sale as requiring an FFL unless done for the purpose of making a profit or to a disqualified person.  Do not sell a gun to anyone unless they have a carry permit.  (This is already common by private sellers in Idaho.)  Make a copy.

The second action the White House is taking is launching a public relations campaign to educate the public on the use of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). ERPO, also known as “red flag laws,” strips gun owners of their firearms rights in an ex parte hearing where the gun owner cannot defend their rights. Many believe these laws are a violation of due process. Biden wants to educate people on how to file for ERPOs to increase the number of red flag orders issued.

Only some states have ERPO laws.

The Biden Administration is also asking the Department of Transportation to work with shippers to cut down on stolen firearms and speed up the reports of missing shipments. This request could mean new regulations on firearms shipments or new requirements for shipping firearms. Many gun owners worry about changes since Congress has been putting immense pressure on shipping companies leading some to change policies that have made it more expensive to ship guns. 

Because thefts from common carriers are already a big source for criminally misused guns, this does not seem unreasonable.  When I was an FFL, UPS left a shotgun on my doorstep in an apartment building.  Requiring signatures is not that hard and might simplify catching UPS employees stealing guns as has been a problem in some cities.

Biden vowed to crack down on “rogue” FFLs, and the ATF revocation of FFLs is up 500% since Biden took office. The White House will now require the ATF to release information on FFLs violations publicly. Many see this as a war on the gun industry. 

Go ahead.  Many of the revocations will be exposed as harassment; some will show improper actions.  Shame those people.

Biden will also use the Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition of firearms to attack the gun industry. It isn’t clear what he means, but this could mean putting stipulations in government contracts with firearms companies to prevent the sale of certain firearms to the public. He is also ordering the Federal Trade Commission to investigate “military imagery” used in the advertisement of guns.

How many commercial vendors have military contracts?  Not many.  The advertising issue is not entirely without merit.  Most responsible gun owners know what an AR-15 rifle is for; those who do not are probably not people we should encourage.  It is bad enough that the dying legacy news media are telling unstable sorts what gun to use when they go out in a storm of infamy.

Biden is playing the gun banners; he is going to need a lot of money for 2024.

Good article by John Lott pointing out that Biden wants to impose California's current laws that work SO WELL on the rest of us.

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