Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Washington D.C. – -(AmmoLand.com)- To anti-Second Amendment extremists, anything that allows a law-abiding American citizen to exercise their Second Amendment rights is a “loophole.” Second Amendment supporters, though, often find people questioning this mindset – often because they don’t know the current laws, how little they are enforced, or what anti-Second Amendment extremists ultimately want to subject this country to.
Well, Second Amendment supporters now have a concrete example of this mindset from anti-Second Amendment extremists, and they can thank Representative Jason Crow (D-CO). Crow has introduced HR 647, the Closing the Loophole on Interstate Firearm Sales Act, with nine co-sponsors.
Under current law as laid out in 18 USC 922(b), it is legal to buy for a resident of one state to buy a long gun from a federal firearms licensee in another state provided that the laws of both states are followed. This makes things more convenient for a resident of the northern panhandle of West Virginia, who could find a long gun they wish to buy in either Ohio or Pennsylvania that would be much closer than the nearest FFL with that same gun in West Virginia. This is not an exclusive situation – the same would apply in a number of other regions in the country, like the Delmarva peninsula, the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, and much of New England.
For most Second Amendment supporters, this situation is inconvenient, but far less so than if they were limited to only buying from FFLs in their state. If anything, with NICS, there is no logic to restricting the sale of any firearm across state lines (not to mention the various waiting period and licensing schemes some states have).
In a press release, he cannot cite a single actual horrific act, just a panic over a sale that already violated the existing provisions of the law! Even then, over this honest mistake on the part of an FFL, Crow wants to punish thousands of people over a panic.
Now, to be fair, the FFL should have taken the time to look up Florida’s laws – there is a summary on the NRA-ILA website – before the sale was completed. Because of that FFL’s mistake, anti-Second Amendment extremists have gained a pretext to justify pushing a new burden on our rights. We do not deserve to be punished for an honest mistake.
Second Amendment supporters should contact their Representatives and Senators and politely urge them to oppose HR 647, and instead seek to override state waiting periods and licensing schemes. They also should support the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action and Political Victory Fund to ensure that the current anti-Second Amendment regimes in the House, Senate, and White House are defeated at the ballot box as soon as possible.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
