Opinion
By Larry Keane
Not that anyone is surprised, but gun control activists, especially those on Capitol Hill, love a good antigun bill.
Every Congressional session, Democratic lawmakers attempt to ban so-called “assault weapons” or impose “universal background checks.” However, they aren’t always so brash in their efforts.
They also try with more subtle gun control bills that may even appear to be gun-neutral on the outside.
U.S. Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) recently introduced H.R. 4487, the Gun Safety Incentive Act. In part, the bill promotes safe gun storage practices by providing a federal tax credit for individuals who purchase certified firearm safes and secure storage devices. But also included in the bill is language that would empower a federal agency, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), to “promote best practices” for safe storage and also require certain firearms to be sold with additional labeling and packaging. The last part of the bill would provide taxpayer-funded grants to communities to “implement strategies to encourage safe storage.”
It’s not a far leap from “encouragement” by a federal agency to becoming a “requirement.” The last four years of the Biden administration demonstrated what happens when an antigun administration wields government authority to suppress firearm ownership.
It’s another example of activists pushing an agenda that would leave law-abiding Americans hindered and unable to access their firearm quickly in time of need while also mandating manufacturers change their packaging labels that would push extra costs on small businesses, manufacturers, and sellers. No one needs more laws that make it difficult to lawfully purchase one while criminals continue to obtain their firearms overwhelmingly through theft, the black market and other illicit means.
Don’t be fooled – these gun control legislators are trying to act as if they’re pushing gun safety; but really, they’re trying to limit the Constitutional rights of Americans and their ability to purchase a firearm by adding more hurdles in order to get one. NSSF continues to work with industry partners to oppose these efforts, in the states and in the halls of Congress.
Encouraging Safe Storage
In theory, the “Gun Safety Incentive Act” would establish a 10 percent tax credit on certified firearm safes and storage devices through 2030 for those who purchase “certified” firearm safes and secure storage devises. That effort could be a good one – NSSF has supported similar efforts at the federal and state level, including in Louisiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington.
The problem with H.R. 4487 is the mandates included beyond the incentives for safe storage purchases.
Their bill also directs taxpayer funds to be used by DOJ impose labeling requirements on “specified handgun, rifle, and shotgun manufacturers” to provide a clear and conspicuous warnings on packaging. There’s no mention of what firearms would be the focus of DOJ’s requirements, though. One could assume the lawmakers would target Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs), or so-called “assault weapons” as they often call them, or other popular-selling varieties. And, undoubtedly the mandated packaging would discourage firearm ownership and compel speech that industry members do not agree with.
The bill also directs the DOJ to provide taxpayer-grant funding to be used for the development, implementation and evaluation of these DOJ-aligned Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Programs, the community-based efforts that promote secure storage practices through education, outreach and local partnerships. That portion could easily be abused by local gun control activists in antigun state governments and metropolitan areas to push strict gun control policies on law-abiding citizens, all while using taxpayer money to turn around and infringe on the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.
Hard pass. These are just more limitations backed by antigun politicians and gun control activists who don’t want guns in the hands of anyone. As important as gun safety is, those particular barriers will not create safer communities.
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Real Solutions.
NSSF is passionate about safety, as demonstrated through its Real Solutions. Safer Communities® efforts. Safe and responsible gun ownership is – and always has been – a firearm industry priority. No one wants a firearm in the hands of someone who shouldn’t have one – not a criminal and especially not an unsupervised child. That’s why the firearm industry has taken proactive steps to prevent just that; and they do a superb job at it.
NSSF, through Project ChildSafe® and its partnerships with more than 15,000 law enforcement organizations in all 50 states and five U.S. territories, has distributed over 41 million firearm safety kits, which include cable-style locks. Free of charge – no questions asked. That’s in addition to the gun locking devices firearm manufacturers include in the box with the firearm that’s shipped from the factory. In total, that’s well over 100 million gun lock to ensure firearms remain secure.
But firearm safe storage isn’t the only way NSSF promotes keeping firearms out of the wrong hands to help keep communities safe. It’s a multipronged, and proven, effort that also includes Operation Secure Store® – a partner program with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – to educate and help firearm retailers make well-informed security-related decisions at retail locations to deter and prevent thefts. Fix NICS®, an effort started by the firearm industry, has successfully changed the law in 16 states and in Congress to get disqualifying background records entered into the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
The Don’t Lie for the Other Guy™ program helps frontline firearm retailers detect and prevent illegal “straw purchases” in their communities. That program is a partnership between NSSF and ATF, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. And NSSF also partners with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to help encourage “brave conversations” and safe firearm storage to help save lives, especially among the veteran community; and more.
More than 26.2 million Americans have become first-time gun owners in the past five years and the law-abiding gun-owning community has never been a safer community. While gun control groups continue to push gimmicks and theatrics, the firearm industry will continue highlighting that law-abiding gun ownership is the Constitutional right of every law-abiding American. Safely exercising that right is as American as apple pie and should be celebrated, not restricted.
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About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
Ya know…it would be really cool if the republican’t party would grow a pair start using demarxist tactics, & start calling them exactly what they are. Anti-Americans. They hate everything to do with the basic freedoms our nation was founded on. Stop using multisyllabic, $20 words & call them what they are.
And we’re supposed to believe that when we file our income tax and claim the 10% credit on a gun storage device that the government isn’t going to keep yet another illegal database of gun owners? Like the DROS in California? Or the recent revelations by AmmoLand about how the NICS system was misused and the ATF distributed information to state agencies? Does anyone believe that NICS data is destroyed once entered? Sounds like just another registration scheme to me.
Rust is the #2 enemy of guns.
Politicians are the #1 enemy of guns.
how about not wasting taxpayer provided, unwillingly of course, in a lame attempt to circumnavigate the Second Amendment and allow the possession of firearm everywhere in the country except for a very limited number of places?
recommendation quickly become requirements with the force of law behind them.
how about prosecuting the criminals who use firearms to the fullest extent of the law allowed and not plea bargaining to lesser crimes?
we don’t need more laws, we need more freedom. like john bryant says, “freedom is scary, deal with it”.
Hey Marxists clowns go sit down somewhere as a matter of fact grab two chairs to support that very ample bottom.
50 years ago I was supportive of making good faith compromises with the liberals. I saw Reagan making compromises and getting burned when the promises from the liberals turned out to be lies and demands for more “compromise.” It hit me that, contrary to what I was told, liberals take but do not give. I have seen nothing to change that observation. Since then, “liberals” have turned into “Left,” and not giving has turned into “TAKING” and more outrageous lies. As a result, I’ve hardened in my outlook on politics. There can be no compromise on our God-given rights as… Read more »
‘Sides the motivation, maybe the Department of Justice should stick to justicing and not promoting storage methods and even more labels.
I favor safe storage for corrupt anti American politicians in prison to protect law biding citizens from them .
What the DemoSocialists are essentially saying is, “If we can’t divest you of your firearms, let’s at least ensure that they are locked away so you can’t get to them when you urgently need them.”
“Every Congressional session, Democratic lawmakers attempt to ban so-called “assault weapons” or impose “universal background checks.” However, they aren’t always so brash in their efforts.” There is one session of congress that no assault weapon ban or universal background checks was proposed. . . That was during the Obama presidency when the democrats has a supermajority in the senate and a strong majority in the house. For more than 30 consecutive days the democrat congress could have passed anything they wanted and it would have been signed into law by Obama. Yet, during this period, the democrat controlled congress passed… Read more »