Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Standing Guard | U.S. Virgin Islands Order Shows Link Between Registration Lists And Confiscation

Monday, October 30, 2017

Standing Guard | U.S. Virgin Islands Order Shows Link Between Registration Lists And Confiscation

This feature appears in the November ‘17 issue of NRA America’s 1st Freedom, one of the official journals of the National Rifle Association.  

If there were ever a perfect example of the endgame of the gun-ban crowd and their ultimate weapon—registration of firearm owners—it comes with the order by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands to confiscate registered firearms from law-abiding citizens as a response to the impending devastation of Hurricane Irma.

Gov. Kenneth Mapp, in a toxic Sept. 4 order, proclaimed that the activated National Guard “is authorized and directed to seize arms, ammunition.”

That order was abandoned due in large part to the threat of immediate legal action by NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, citing provisions of an NRA-backed 2006 federal law prohibiting the confiscation of legal firearms from law-abiding citizens during states of emergency. That law was enacted in response to random gun confiscation during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Unlike the Hurricane Katrina gun seizures, the U.S. Virgin Islands threat could have been implemented systematically by using lists of licensed gun owners and their registered firearms.

And this gets us to the key tool of the gun banners—government records. Databases of gun owners in any form—be they firearms-owner licensing or registration, or the “universal” background checks demanded by the likes of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg—are the route to confiscation. And make no mistake, “universal” background checks are ultimately sought by the gun banners as the basis for permanent government records—morphing into universal gun-owner registration in the United States. 

As to the danger of such records on private gun ownership, look no further than the words of Australia’s current gun-control guru, Philip Alpers, who heads a self-styled “global project” of the Sydney School of Public Health where peaceable gun ownership is considered a disease.

In a bylined 2015 article in The Washington Post, Alpers ridicules our Second Amendment-protected freedom as “America’s gun infestation” saying, “Almost all nations now rely on universal licensing and registration to regulate firearms. Except America.”

I say amen to that.

Then to the big connection, “Most developed countries have already moved to reduce gun-fueled mayhem. Great Britain, Argentina and Brazil all mounted massive national gun buybacks to reduce the availability of firearms. The world’s largest occurred in Australia, where a million of its guns—one-third of the nation’s private arsenal—were destroyed.”

This was no arsenal. The firearms taken and destroyed were the private personal property of individuals who had trusted their government, had duly obtained required licenses and had registered their firearms.

These were people who never had anything to do with mass shootings or violent crime. Yet they paid the price with the loss of their liberty.

When U.S. politicians like presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama embraced Australia’s gun laws, they denied the element of confiscation. In his Postarticle, Alpers sneeringly set the record straight and forever defined the true nature of “buybacks,” saying:

“When a government bans a particularly dangerous type of firearm, then offers to buy those guns under threat of prosecution, that is of course confiscation and destruction of private property.” (Emphasis added.)

Alpers continued his bizarre attack:

“To public health practitioners, the gun is to gun violence as the mosquito is to malaria. Break the chain of causation, and the disease begins to retreat. But when guns proliferate, a harm agent designed to kill drives an infectious disease fueled by fear and profit. The more Americans die by gunshot, the more Americans purchase guns.”

Whether it’s the likes of Alpers or the Brady Campaign, or gun-ban fronts headed by Michael Bloomberg or George Soros, no measure of gun control is ever enough. With every new domestic proposal come the words “first step.” And each step is another step toward the total eradication of private firearm ownership.

Nothing is ever enough.  

Under Australia’s draconian law, one means for a citizen to obtain a license to possess a registered firearm is by joining a government-recognized gun club.

Let Alpers explain it in his own words. This is from an article on his Sydney University webpage:

“Since 1996, each applicant for a firearm license must prove a ‘genuine reason’ for gun ownership. … For many thousands of urban and other firearm owners, the only ‘genuine reason’ which fits is to join an approved shooting club.”

But, according to Alpers, therein lies an intrinsic evil.

“Gun clubs enshrine in our society a core pledge of shooters, which is to introduce children to firearms as early as possible.”

The Australian law, he says, has compelled many gun owners “to shoot with politically committed enthusiasts several times each year. … It’s easy to see hundreds of gun clubs acting as ideological training camps.”

So you can see what’s down the road for most of Australia’s besieged gun owners.

In his Washington Post screed, Alpers obliquely referred to the NRA, whining, “Interest groups have bullied politicians into allowing unlicensed, unqualified gun ownership. The United States is now alone with its Second Amendment.”

Amen to that.  

And that gets us back to hurricanes, the Second Amendment and your NRA.

As part of Florida’s response to the expected mega-disaster of Hurricane Irma, Gov. Rick Scott implemented public safety provisions of an NRA-inspired law enacted last summer. That statute allows citizens who do not possess a concealed-carry permit and who come under evacuation orders or other emergency proclamations to carry firearms for self protection. The law provides those protections for 48 hours, but can be extended by the governor. Like the very concept of concealed-carry and “Stand your Ground” laws, this one was the brainchild of the redoubtable former NRA President Marion Hammer.

As always, NRA is Freedom’s Safest Place.

Wayne LaPierre

BY Wayne LaPierre

Executive Vice President, NRA

Since 1991, Wayne LaPierre has led the NRA through a period of unprecedented membership growth and political clout in defense of our Second Amendment rights. And that strength has been put to the good benefit of NRA members and gun owners. In large part because of Wayne's leadership, Right-to-Carry is now the law in 41 states. All 50 states have enacted laws to protect shooting ranges, and all 50 passed legislation to protect hunters from harassment.

TRENDING NOW
Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

News  

Monday, July 29, 2024

Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

Since President Joe Biden unceremoniously dropped out, or was forced out, of the 2024 presidential race on July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris has been effectively coronated as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

News  

Monday, September 16, 2024

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

During the September 10 presidential debate, President Donald Trump correctly highlighted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s support for gun confiscation. A visibly defensive Harris claimed, “We're not taking anybody's guns away. So stop with the ...

Florida: Vote "YES" on Amendment 2 - Protect the Right to Fish & Hunt

Monday, October 21, 2024

Florida: Vote "YES" on Amendment 2 - Protect the Right to Fish & Hunt

The upcoming 2024 General Election puts forth a proposal to Florida voters on the ballot to amend the State Constitution to affirm and protect Floridians' Right to Fish and Hunt. Amendment 2 states:

Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

News  

Monday, July 29, 2024

Kamala Harris is an Existential Threat to the Second Amendment and Supports Gun Confiscation

Since President Joe Biden unceremoniously dropped out, or was forced out, of the 2024 presidential race on July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris has been effectively coronated as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Kamala’s Big Problem: She’s Already Shown Us Who She Is

News  

Monday, October 28, 2024

Kamala’s Big Problem: She’s Already Shown Us Who She Is

At a town hall event on October 21 in Royal Oak, Michigan, Democrat presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris was asked how she would make “impactful and immediate progress around gun violence” if she was ...

Kamala Harris’ Record on Gun Control and Second Amendment

News  

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Kamala Harris’ Record on Gun Control and Second Amendment

Vice President Kamala Harris has consistently campaigned for draconian gun control laws, which severely limit the rights of lawful gun owners.

NRA’s Political Victory Fund Endorses President Donald J. Trump

News  

Saturday, May 18, 2024

NRA’s Political Victory Fund Endorses President Donald J. Trump

Today, the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is honored to announce its full endorsement of President Donald J. Trump for re-election to a second term as President of the United States of America. ...

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

Monday, April 1, 2024

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

NRA Members Among the Largest Class Protected from Draconian Rule

Tim Walz Hunts for Voters in Outdoor Photo Op

News  

Monday, October 21, 2024

Tim Walz Hunts for Voters in Outdoor Photo Op

History shows, when anti-gun politicians take to the field, gun owners have good reason to be concerned.

Massachusetts: Non-Resident Hunters Beware

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Massachusetts: Non-Resident Hunters Beware

As noted in a recent American Hunter article, Massachusetts Hunters Face Anti-Gun Law This Fall, there are new legal risks for those looking to hunt in the Bay State. 

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.