When Thomas Jefferson warned his peers (and his posterity) about the threat of expansive governments, he said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” In other words, the habit of looking to a government to meet our wants can be very costly because governments big enough to satisfy those wants are too large to control. In the end, all the goodies such a government provides come at a price too high: the price of freedom.
And although Jefferson issued this warning two centuries ago, many citizens in blue states like Connecticut and New York may think them strangely contemporary. And the reason they might think this is because politicians in those two states are openly pushing legislation that will control, if not take away all together, said citizens’ ability to exercise their God-given, 2nd Amendment rights.
For example, in New York, S.B. 2994 is currently making the rounds in that state’s senate. Not only will this legislation require gun owners to register every gun they own with the state, it will also charge them an annual per-gun fee for every gun they own. Moreover, gun owners will even have to tell the government where they store their guns when not in use.
Now think about this: the justification given for S.B. 2994 is that it will enable New York officials to “come a step closer to identifying…illegal firearms.”
Hmmm…. I wonder how many owners of illegal firearms will be complying with S.B. 2994 should it pass? I’d say there’s a better chance that owners of legal firearms will get a knock on their door at some future date, when the government that knows how many guns you own and where you keep them decides it’s time to get those firearms off the streets too.
In Connecticut’s legislature, Bill No. 1094 – “AN ACT BANNING LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION MAGAZINES” – has been proposed. If enacted, this bill would not only ban the sell of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, but would also make it a felony for a gun owner to have one. (That’s right – a felony.)
And what about people who already own such magazines? According to the legislation, such people would have 90 days from the day the bill becomes law to turn in all magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Therefore, every magazine in the state that holds 11 or more rounds would be confiscated, and after 90 days if a gun owner is caught with a magazine he or she didn’t turn in they become a felon (and as a felon they can never legally own or a possess a firearm again).
Is this a great backdoor scheme for ending private gun onwership or what?
The politicians who fashioned this legislation did so in reaction to the Tuscan shooting, where Jared Loughner used a Glock model 19 with a 30 round clip (or larger) to shoot his victims. In the minds of big government liberals, the way to stop a thousand criminals from doing what they do is to punish the hundreds of millions of law abiding citizens who will now have less ability to buy the equipment needed to defend their own lives (if this horrible bill passes).
When I contacted Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, for comment on this legislation, he described its inherent flaws thus: “Connecticut lawmakers are happy to ignore the lessons of gun control. Criminals don’t obey their laws. A magazine size limit will endanger peaceful citizens who won’t have them legally available to fend off an assault by a gang of home invaders. In real life, it may take nine or ten rounds to stop one assailant (under stress our aim is not the best, and the attacker may be high on drugs). After the little magazine is empty, then what? Call a legislator for help?”
If you’re first thought is, “this bill will never pass,” you may want to think again. The fact that it’s been proposed means there are at least a few nuts in the Connecticut legislature who think it’s a good idea.
The bottom line is that we need to consider Jefferson’s warning anew. The governments to which we increasingly turn for the things we want are subsequently turning on us, taking payment for their services in the currency of freedom.
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