By U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.)
Mississippi – -(AmmoLand.com)- Growing up in Monticello, guns were a normal part of life: for hunting, for protection, for sport, for collecting. It was not unusual to see rifles on truck gun racks or hanging over fireplaces.
What would have been unusual then–and would still be unusual today–would be discovering that the government was keeping a list of law-abiding citizens who had guns, or would allow that list to be published by a newspaper.
A few years ago, New York reporters published databases showing where licensed gun owners and permit holders lived in that state: creating a virtual shopping list for criminals seeking to steal weapons. Now, New York seeks to require all gun owners to register their handguns with the New York State Police.
I’m not sure what they’re thinking in places like New York, but one thing is clear: Not a single federal dollar should be used for states or cities to target the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.
I introduced the Gun Owner Registration Information Protection Act (S.3135) or the GRIP Act to ensure no federal funds are used, either intentionally or not, for misguided gun control efforts. This legislation is needed to guarantee the federal government is not involved in exploiting the personal information of law-abiding people who own or purchase firearms legally.
Under current law, the federal government may not store information acquired during the firearms background process. My bill reinforces that policy and clarifies that this prohibition extends to the use of federal funds by states, localities, and other groups for the creation or maintenance of a full or partial gun registry.
The GRIP Act would prohibit states from using federal grant programs like the National Criminal Histories Improvement Program, the NICS Amendment Records Improvement Program, and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to create or maintain gun registries of law-abiding Americans. These grant programs can help states improve criminal record keeping and fulfill reporting requirements, but they shouldn’t be used to target gun owners deliberately or not.
Another problem is that several state supreme courts have decreed that storing personally identifiable information related to firearm purchases and ownership does not violate some state laws, which creates a loophole for those states to keep registries of gun owners. My legislation would ensure federal funds cannot be used by a state even in the case where they attempt to exploit such a loophole.
Finally, this bill does not include limitations related to law enforcement-issued firearms or lost or stolen firearms.
I am a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, and the NRA has endorsed this legislation.
We are a nation of laws. When someone breaks the law, there are consequences like being incarcerated and losing the right to vote or have a firearm. Law-abiding Americans shouldn’t be subject to those standards, particularly if they are gun owners. There is no need to track those who exercise their Second Amendment rights through a registry. The GRIP Act would make sure federal funds aren’t used for any such purpose.
Folks in Monticello would say bureaucrats who want gun registries should get a grip. My bill is going to help them out with that.
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is a cattle farmer from Southwest Mississippi.
I will also never abide by any law that is a direct infringement of the 2nd Amendment.
@Jake the National Firearms Act is not a direct infringement on the Second Amendment, but rather a tax that gathers little or no revenue, but does control full auto and large caliber firearms. Congress purported to use its taxing authority on your civil rights.
The Gun Control Act purports to control commerce, but rather controls firearms and, in turn, people ! Congress indirectly used its proper commerce control authority to improperly diminish the peoples’ control over government.
Those are not direct infringements on the Second Amendment. That is how government fools the people.
Hon. Cindy Hyde-Smith:
Don’t you think that repealing the (unconstitutional anyway) Gun Control Act would protect gun owners better than yet another act of Congress?
I will not comply, any law that violates the constitution is no law.
When they decide to force criminals to register their guns- and they know who they are- I might register any that I have at that time. These people have only one objective, and we know what it is. South Africa started with registration and went straight to confiscation and the murder of property owners who objected to having their land taken. I don’t feel that we Americans are ok with that outcome. You know a Democrat is lying when you see their lips moving, and most RINOs too.
Vote Chris McDaniel in Nov 6, Cindy has a LONG record of trying to control arms of all kinds.
One need look no further than to the countries who have in the past and even present, have decided to register or restrict guns. One, that some of us are old enough to remember, Germany, almost completed the takeover of all of Europe one small step at a time. Millions of decent citizens were stripped of their God given right of self defense and were murdered. Here in the states where gun control is enacted, turn out to be the most criminal infested compared to neighboring states where these infringements are not accepted. Living in VT, formerly the best state… Read more »
Good Idea. Any confiscatory registry is always a bad omen for citizens.
Here is our V.P. for ’24…