By Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President
For any of your friends who might doubt President Barack Obama’s true end-game on “gun control”, look no further than the president’s whole-hearted endorsement of Connecticut’s draconian new law which bans more than 100 specific models of firearms, including many shotguns, and requires registration of many popular firearms and magazines.
CBS described Obama’s April 8, 2013, appearance at the University of Connecticut, saying, “Obama applauded the state legislature and Gov. Dan Malloy for passing ‘common sense’ bi-partisan legislation last week that calls for widespread restrictions on firearms.”
“Connecticut has shown the way, and now is the time for Congress to do the same,” Obama demanded.
CNN began its April 4, 2013, coverage of the new gun ban: “Saying he hopes it sets an example for the nation, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy on Thursday signed what advocacy groups call the strongest and most comprehensive gun legislation in the nation.”
For his part, Gov. Malloy pledged much more to come, “Today does not mark the end of our efforts.”
So what is it about this sweeping law that Obama considers “common sense?” What provisions would the president apply to law-abiding gun owners throughout the nation as “showing the way” …?
Keep in mind, the 338-page legislation was drafted in virtual secrecy.
Let me quote directly from the law Obama embraces:
“No person shall possess any ‘assault weapon’ unless that person possessed that firearm before October 1, 1993, and received a certificate of possession from the Connecticut State Police prior to July 1994. The commissioner of public safety shall maintain a file of all certificates of transfer at the central office.”
“No assault weapon may be sold or transferred to any person other than to a licensed gun dealer, or any individual who arranged in advance to relinquish it to a police department or the department of public safety. …”
If you inherit a gun the law defines as an “assault weapon” you must apply for a certificate of possession within 90 days, or render the weapon inoperable, sell the weapon to a licensed gun dealer, or remove the weapon from the state.
For any gun owner who might think about moving to Connecticut, consider this provision: “Any person who moves into the state in lawful possession of an assault weapon shall, within 90 days, render it permanently inoperable, sell it to a licensed gun dealer, or remove it from the state.”
So what is a so-called “assault weapon?” Whatever they say it is.
Under the new law, the state has published an ever-expanding list of specifically named banned guns. In addition, an “assault weapon” is generically defined as “a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one …” additional characteristic. The list includes a pistol grip, thumbhole stock, folding stock, barrel shroud and flash suppresser among other features. It also bans a series of shotguns as “assault weapons.”
In addition, it is also a felony to possess “a part or combination of parts designed to convert a firearm into an assault weapon.” So possession of a pistol grip, folding stock or flash suppressor could be a criminal act all by itself.
“Common sense,” Obama calls it.
As for magazines, the Connecticut law calls for registration. Try this definition:
“A large capacity magazine is a detachable magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds. Any person who possesses a large capacity magazine on or after January 1, 2014 shall be guilty of a class d felony.”
Obama, who keeps saying, “Nobody’s gonna take your guns,” has finally told the truth:
“Connecticut has shown the way, and now is the time for Congress to do the same.”
In his April 17, 2013, Rose Garden tantrum on the day that his national gun owner registration scheme so-called universal background checks—was defeated in the us. Senate, Obama chastised Congress, saying, “All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington.”
But what is “shameful” in Obama’s vision for America was a great day for the Bill of Rights and for the nation’s peaceable gun owners, who are not a part of crime statistics, who have nothing to do with mass murder or terrorism and who refuse to pay the price for violence with the loss of their liberty. It was a great day for those U.S. senators who stood up to the threat of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spending millions in gun-ban campaign ads.
It was a great day especially for pro-Second Amendment Democratic senators who made Obama’s defeat bipartisan. Those senators are facing threats of defeat by Obama’s personal lobby, his converted campaign machine, Organizing for Action. Bloomberg is also reportedly “moving as many as 60 field organizers into about a dozen states where senators—Democrats and Republicans—voted against the bill with the goal of building infrastructure and countering gun rights groups like the National Rifle Association.”
Obama has vowed to launch new attacks on our liberty using Connecticut as his roadmap.
Saying, “The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill,” Obama brags, “I believe we are going to be able to get this done.”
Gun owners all across this nation understand what this fight is about.
It’s not about some benign background check. It’s about Connecticut becoming the model for laws across this land.
As NRA members, you and the nation’s gun owners were magnificent in your response to the Senate threats that resulted in defeating Obama’s registration schemes. Above all, we must thank those who stood with us and voted to protect the rights of the citizens they serve.
If your senators opposed Obama’s plan, let them know how much they are appreciated and how much you depend on their principled votes in the fights that surely lie ahead. If they are up for reelection, help in any way you can. It’s up to you and me, and the millions of Americans who believe in Second Amendment freedom, to spread the word and trump Obama’s gun-ban agenda.
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