Democrats in the House and Senate are pushing firearm licensing and registration requirements.
The push is contained in legislation titled, “Blair Holt Firearm Owner Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2018.” It is being sponsored by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
The text of the legislation says, “To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes.” The phrase “certain firearms” refers to “a handgun; or a semiautomatic rifle that is capable of accepting a detachable ammunition feeding device.”
The legislation defines and “ammunition feeding device” as a device “capable of being detached from a semiautomatic rifle; and has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition.”
In order to legally possess semiautomatic handguns or rifles a citizen would have to possess a “firearm owner license” or a “state firearm license.”
Exemptions to the requirements include “a Federal employee who is required to carry a qualifying firearm in the capacity of that individual as a Federal employee while engaged in the performance of official duties.” In other words, the Capitol Police and other security personnel who protect Congress would not have to submit to the requirement placed upon commoners.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.