Below The Radar: Untraceable Firearms Act of 2019

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Second Amendment supporters should always remember the comments of Nelson “Pete” Shields – not only because it is a warning of what anti-Second Amendment extremists want, but because what Shields described is a multi-step solution.

The first problem was to slow down the number of firearms, which isn’t quite happening. In some cases, they are now trying to skip to the “second problem” Shields outlined, getting guns registered. One of the tools they are trying is HR 3553, the Untraceable Firearms Act of 2019, introduced by Representative David Cicilline (D-RI).

Cicilline has introduced a number of anti-Second Amendment bills, and we will undoubtedly go over more of them later. But this one merits attention, as it targets one growing hobby of Second Amendment supporters: Building their own guns.

This is particularly the case with AR-15-type modern multi-purpose semiautomatic rifles. What is known as 80 percent receivers are sold, and people can then build their own firearms. This has gone on since before the United States declared independence. The 80 percent receivers are just the latest iteration.

Of course, if you build a firearm for yourself, you don’t need a Federal Firearms License. You don’t have to put a serial number on the gun. In short, this is a gun that is very hard to confiscate, which doesn’t make anti-Second Amendment extremists happy.

Cicilline’s legislation intends to change that, by making this long-standing hobby illegal, and slaps the hobbyists with a potential five-year federal prison sentence. It’s not like there aren’t already laws that address providing any sort of firearm to bad guys. Oh, yeah, there are – 18 USC 922(d) and 18 USC 922(g), along with provisions in 18 USC 924.

Really, if you want to deal with the alleged “issues” of those who make guns with the intention of providing them to bad guys, the tools are already there. They just have to be used. This is where programs like Project Guardian can make a difference, not just in reducing the types of incidents used to whip up attacks on our rights, but also in pointing out that we don’t need new laws – we can use existing laws and not attack the Second Amendment.

This sort of logic is quite obvious, so we certainly have every right to wonder why Representative Cicilline wants to push a new law that won’t solve the problem. Second Amendment supporters should contact their Senators and Representative and politely urge them to oppose HR 3553, and to instead support efforts like Project Guardian.

 

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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.