The Coming Battle to Save the Second Amendment

By Chad D. Baus

I'm not sure students are still taught about American patriot Paul Revere's famous "Midnight Ride" in our public school system, but I am sure about this -

"The British are coming (again)!"

And just like the British army occupying Boston began confiscating the inhabitants' firearms in 1774, the new occupiers have similar goals in mind.

At an Ohio campaign rally in October, 2008, candidate Barack Obama promised Americans "I will not take your rifle away." But less than 48 hours after he was elected, and before all the votes were counted, President-elect Obama immediately announced plans to do just that.

On Obama's Transition website, Change.gov, the President-elect announced his Urban Policy Agenda. In describing his plans to "address gun violence in cities", the website announced that "Obama and Biden... support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets."

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans own the types of semi-automatic rifles demonized by the anti-gun media as "assault weapons." And Obama is now saying, in effect, the exact opposite of what he said in the Buckeye state just a few weeks earlier. Now it's "I WILL take your rifle away."

While pro-gun voters were unable to overcome the perfect storm that formed over the economy in October, they are now voting on their beliefs about Obama's plans with their pocketbooks - purchasing firearms at unprecedented rates.

Another sign that the "change" this administration has planned for gun owners is going to be something other than the tale Obama spun on the campaign trail is the first document created by President-elect Obama - the "White House Personnel Data Questionnaire" – which is a model that can used by all agencies of the Federal government. Question 59 demands to know "Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage."

In a poignant op-ed on World Net Daily, Brad O'Leary points out that all sorts of questions have been deemed to be discriminatory and, therefore, out of bounds for employers to ask.

"For example, you can't be asked if you are black, white or Asian. You can't be asked what your age is, what your sex is, whether or not you're married, whether you have pre-existing medical conditions, or if you are a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew. You can't be asked if you have been arrested, or if you're a member of the Knights of Columbus, the National Organization for Women or National Council of La Raza."

Therefore, O'Leary argues the Obama administration has "made it clear that discriminatory practices are to be a hallmark of his administration and that he particularly intends to discriminate against hunters and gun owners."

As these early signs continue to sound increasingly foreboding, it appears that many Americans believe, as I do, that war is about to be waged on the Second Amendment. But what should Americans be watching for? Where, beyond the moves telegraphed by Obama on Change.gov and in his employment application, will his anti-gun forces strike first?

Here's what to watch for:

• Reinstatement of a more aggressive version of the Clinton Gun Ban

  Vice President-elect bragged on the campaign trail about writing the first Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and Democrats in Congress have been waiting for just the right opportunity to push for a much more aggressive version. And with this listed on the Obama administration's Change.gov agenda, they know their time has come.

• Repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment

  Another Change.gov agenda item, lawsuits against gun dealers and manufacturers will threaten the industry when Obama releases gun trace data collected by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).

• Mandatory National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) for all firearms transfers

  According to Obama's Change.gov website, the new administration will press to mandate background checks on private transactions at gun shows. It will then only be a short step to arguing the necessity of such background checks on ALL transactions. (Which will, no doubt, be completed only when individuals who ask for the check cough up an as-yet to be determined fee).

• Mandatory high-tech "child-safe" and identification features on newly-manufactured firearms

  The Change.gov website calls for "making guns in this country childproof", which is anti-gun code-speak for mandating design requirements (biometric shooter-identification systems, for example) on firearms manufacturers that would render their products as too expensive for most Americans.

  Obama has also expressed support for mandating the implementation of micro-stamping technology, which would also drastically increase manufacturing costs.

• Establishment of a permanent database of gun purchase records storage on Federal computers

  The Outdoor Wire, an outdoor sports industry resource, reported in late October that Barack Obama's prematurely-established 'transition team' is already considering changes to the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) for firearms purchases that would allow gun purchase records to be stored on government servers.

  Once the government has the information, the arguments will begin on the necessity of allowing law-enforcement to access the information.

• Nomination of anti-gun Supreme Court justices

  During the campaign, Obama expressed support for the District of Columbia gun ban before saying he agreed with the majority in a 5-4 decision in District of Columbia V. Heller, which overturned the ban. But the proof of which side he is on will come when Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and David H. Souter, step down, and President Obama is called upon to nominate replacements.

  Obama voted against the confirmation of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito (two of the five who affirmed an individual right to keep and bear arms in Heller, and told the audience at the Saddleback Forum last August he would not have appointed Justices Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia.

  He has mentioned Justices Ginsburg, Souter and Breyer as models for the type of person he would nominate to replace retirees. All three of Obama's "models" voted against the right of Americans to keep and bear arms in the Heller case.

• Enactment of a stringent ammunition ban

  In 2005, Obama voted for an amendment, offered by Sen. Ted Kennedy, which would have banned almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting. There is no doubt that such legislation will have a much greater chance of passage in the next Congress.

  And given his comments about military-style rifles "belong[ing] on foreign battle fields and not on the street", don't be surprised to see a ban on importation of ammunition manufactured overseas. Such a move could be accomplished by executive order.

• Radical increases of the federal excise tax on guns and ammunition

  In 1999, Barack Obama endorsed a 500% increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. He has never recanted.

• Adoption of United Nations treaty banning small arms

  The United Nations (U.N.), the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), and other countries have been trying to ban the private ownership of almost all firearms in the United States for many years. Thanks to the Bush administration's support for our Second Amendment, their efforts have been thwarted.

  The most recent effort by the UN came on Friday, October 31, when the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of an unprecedented treaty regulating the global arms trade, again with opposition from the United States. But there is absolutely no reason to think such opposition will continue in an Obama administration.

I also will not be surprised to see restrictions on hunting on public lands. The Humane Society of the United States, which believes "sport hunting...is fundamentally at odds with the values of a humane, just and caring society, endorsed him for a reason, as did many radical environmentalist groups. "Protecting" Federal lands and the wildlife therein with new restrictions on hunting is a likely first step.

Think these predictions are too radical? Think the Red Coats aren't really coming? Obama's anti-gun supporters disagree. Immediately after the election, the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence, which has expressed support for every single item listed above nearly word for word, began declaring victory - ironic, considering their victorious candidate was someone the media and faux gun groups like American Hunters and Shooters Association had constantly been telling Americans was pro-gun.

As the NRA stated in its post-election press release, "The threats to our gun rights under Barack Obama are real. If we are going to protect those rights, we have to start work now, preparing for legislative, executive and regulatory assaults at every level of government. Some will be open attacks, such as reintroduction of the Clinton gun ban. Others will be stealthier, such as unleashing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to harass even more gun dealers and force them out of business. Regardless of how they attack our rights, we will have to respond."

And how should we be prepared to respond to the approaching Red Coats? The late Charleton Heston, civil rights activist and former NRA President, offered these words of wisdom nearly a decade ago about the culture war, and I certainly think they apply here:

Folks, the British are coming! And I believe our civil rights are about to be challenged in a way that Mr. Heston and Dr. King understood all too well. I pray we are up to the challenge.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.