SCAN THIS NEWS 5.13.2000

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Gun owners face mandatory fingerprinting, photos, testing By Matthew Mittan

http://www.ashevilletribune.com/fingerprinting.htm

Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced a bill that would require that all legal gun owners in America be licensed, fingerprinted, tested, photographed and forced to sign safety contracts with the federal government.

"When you want to hunt, you get a hunting license; when you want to drive, you get a driver's license," Feinstein said. But, "when it comes to guns and gun owners, there's no license and no registration. ... The time has come to treat gun owners no differently than anyone who seeks to drive a car." Accompanying Feinstein at her Capitol Hill news conference were other gun-owner-control advocates.

Under the new law, if it is passed, all law abiding American citizens who wish to purchase a new firearm would have to pass a federal firearms use test, submit to fingerprinting and photographing by the federal government, pass Justice

(Pictured above) The U. S. Border Patrol already employs a system, to log information on people, that uses digitized fingerprints and photographs. The information is stored in a government computer database which is available to federal agents and law enforcement officials. The government may enlist the help of this same technology to build files on law abiding Americans who own guns, if a new bill before Congress is adopted. (Photo by Denis Poroy.)

Department and State background checks, provide information as to date and place of birth and their current residential address, sign contracts to "keep the guns away from children" and pay a $25 license fee. Licenses would need to be renewed every five years, and would be revoked at any time if the gun owner ever became disqualified under any new or old federal law regarding gun possession.

Current gun owners would have 10 years to become federally licensed or face consequences, possibly from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the agency responsible for the debacle at Waco, TX where dozens of men, women and children died and also for the incident at Ruby Ridge. New gun purchases would be effected immediately.

The legislation, called The Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act, is the latest and most aggressive gun-owner-control measure to be authored by Feinstein, who in 1994 won passage of a ban on numerous manufactured gun features. In the Republican-controlled Congress, where centrist and rural Democrats share a skepticism about imposing too many additional gun restrictions, its short-term fate can be judged by examining other gun legislation.

A measure targeting gun-show sales has been stalled for 10 months.

"Anybody who understands the political situation in this country knows this bill isn't going to go anywhere," National Rifle Association spokesman Jim Manown said. "The only thing it will accomplish is get Senator Feinstein publicity."

Feinstein is campaigning for re-election against Rep. Tom Campbell of Palo Alto, a moderate Republican who's strongly supported gun-control measures in the past. Campbell, however, has raised doubts about the new bill, including privacy concerns over the maintenance of a permanent gun-ownership list and constitutional concerns over the law's reach.

More than 65 million U.S. residents currently own about 230 million firearms, according to National Rifle Association estimates. Feinstein's measure would not only apply to handgun owners, but to rifle owners also.

As an incitement to debate, Feinstein's legislation raises several questions. Gun aficionados will want to know whether mandatory registration violates the Second Amendment's stricture against government infringement on the right to bear arms.

"The Constitution reads, "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." A synonym for infringed is encroach. Encroach is defined by Webster's New World College Dictionary as "in a gradual or sneaky way"; "to advance beyond the proper, original, or customary limits; make inroads on or upon."

Manown of the NRA said the thrust of opposition will be elsewhere. More pragmatically, gun-owning skeptics question how well the ATF will be able to administer what could be a large-scale registration program.

"I'd venture that the only people standing in line to get their fingerprints taken will be law-abiding citizens," Manown said.

Under the 1934 National Firearms Act, the government already registers owners of machine guns, silencers, sawed-off shotguns and certain other firearms that lawmakers once deemed as gangster-friendly.

Feinstein's is not the first effort to require widespread documenting and list compiling of gun owners.

New York City started requiring the registration of rifle and shotgun owners in 1967. Then in 1991, the city banned certain shotguns and rifles that had always been legal, and notified the effected 2,340 licensed citizens that they had to surrender or render inoperable their guns to government authorities.

The Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act, is cosponsored by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Rep. Marty Meehan, (D-Mass) is introducing the same bill in the House of Representatives. Supporters of the new legislation include Donna Dees-Thomases, founder of the "Million Mom March"; Charles Ramsey, Washington, District of Columbia Chief of Police; and Michael Barnes, President of Handgun Control, Inc..

Contact information: Sen Dianne Feinstein - 202-224-3841 NC Senators: John Edwards - 919-856-4245 and 202-224-3154 Jesse Helms - 828-322-5170 and 202-224-6342 Tribune comments: 828-254-1106 or tribune@ioa.com

(For further examples of widespread gun-owner-control measures accomplished in the past visit http://www.ashevilletribune.com/guncontrol.htm.)

Michael Doyles report from Scripps-McClatchy Western Service contributed to this article.

-- sis (Sis@homenow.zzz), May 15, 2000

Answers

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh today, speaking on the Million Mom march and gun control. He had interviews with march participants, and also with The Second Amendment Sisters! They had about 3,000 women show up in a grassroots movement to counter the marchers. I'd like to find out who these ladies are..so I can join them next time!

BTW..the women who spoke on behalf of us female NRA members was outstanding. She was Texas state Rep. Suzanna Hupp. Good for you Texas FRLians!!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 15, 2000.