When politicians insist that they're only in favor of "commonsense" gun control laws, they're lying—every time. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) has introduced H.R. 127, the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act, which is as audacious as it is draconian. As is typical, Jackson-Lee named her bill after one of the victims of the 2018 shooting at a Texas High School.
What H.R. 127 would do
It should come as no surprise that, emboldened by President Joe Biden's victory and a 50-50 Senate with Vice-President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote, that the Democratic left would let their freak flag fly when it comes to deeply held "progressive" priorities.
H.R. 127 would
- Require the registration of every firearm owned by a member of the public be registered with the federal government, including the owner's name, the firearm's serial number, the date it was acquired and where the firearm will be stored. All within three months of the date the bill becomes law. (The idea that the federal government could create a system in just three months and process what theoretically be more than 300 million firearms—assuming 100 percent compliance, which wouldn't happen—is laughable. California tried something similar—only with "assault weapons"—and it took them the better part of a year and a half and the system was still a hot mess.
- The database created by the provision above would not only be available to law enforcement, but also to the general public. Talk about a one-stop shop for gun thieves!
- In order to receive a license to possess the firearms you already own (and any you may buy in the future) would require not just the current NICS check, but a psychological evaluation which would include interviews of your spouse, if divorced, your ex, along with two other family members or "associates."
- 24-hours of firearms training is required for anyone wishing to own a firearm.
- This licensing process would have to be repeated every year for the first five years you own a gun. After that, you would be eligible for a three-year license.
- If you have an antique firearm (manufactured in or before 1898), then you must also get a license explaining how you would "display" it, but also that it needs to be stored in a safe or "facility" approved by the Attorney General.
- You will have to pay an annual fee of $800 for "firearm insurance."
- It will make it illegal to hand your firearm to a relative, friend or anyone else at a firing range to take a few shots, unless you have first notified the Attorney General. Same with ammunition. Violating this provision means a fine "not less than $75,000 and not more than $150,000, imprisoned not less than 15 years and not more than 25 years, or both."
- It would ban possession of any ammunition .50 caliber or larger. (Penalty: $50,000-$100,000 fine, 10-20 year prison sentence.)
- It would ban all magazines able to hold more than 10 rounds. (Penalty $10,000-$25,000 fine, 1-5 year prison sentence.)
H.R. 127 is the mask slipping
Currently, Jackson-Lee has no cosponsors for her flagrantly unconstitutional bill, but make no mistake that this is the gun control regime that many on the left would like to see implemented. The penalties are draconian. It makes the 2nd Amendment a privilege only accessible by the wealthy or well-connected. It aims to make millions of Americans criminals overnight.
This bill doesn't have a prayer of passing either chamber of congress. With the narrowed Democratic majority in the House, such a vote would ensure a GOP wave in 2022 as a lot of those Democrats representing rural districts would get wiped out, along with many in the suburbs. In the Senate, there is no way in h-e-double hockeysticks that Sen Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) would go along with this. Even the Supreme Court, as it currently is composed, would be quick to strike down every provision of the bill.
H.R. 127 is not a "commonsense gun control" law. It is a first step to a Hugo Chavez-style socialist state where the psychologists are used to disarm the opposition, making it easier to steal everything else from them for the "greater good."
