Assuming this list that my state keeps of gun registrations is even complete (and I have serious doubts), what would happen if they wanted to take them away? Go door-to-door with the list picking up guns? I think a fairly high percentage would simply claim they were stolen or lost.
By the way, who said earlier that car registration was for taxation purposes? When was the last time you had to register your toaster after you bought it from Wal-Mart? Registration for cars is the same as it is for guns; a way to keep track.
If the state decided they wanted you to pay an annual fee for you to own your TV, toaster, or whatever, they could do it just like you do with cars. Emissions tests? How about electrical efficiency or some government agency deciding that four person home should use no more than "X" amount of electricity a month, day or year and you would pay a penalty for use above a certain amount? Sounds ridiculous, I know.
All that has to happen is that the supreme court decides that firearm ownership is not a right, but a privilege. The a political entity decides it is not legal to own a firearm or to put so many restrictions on ownership that it makes ownership so difficult and expensive to essentially eliminate private ownership execept for those that are of significant financial means or know the politicians.
I would guess that at least half of all firearms would be voluntarily turned in by Americans if a law was enacted that forbid the ownership or poessession of firearms. For the other half... do you really want the government knowing who owns what.
Consider electric generation in the US as an example. More than half of all electric power generation is done from coal fired power plants that emit varying amounts of "pollution". The Cap and Trade bill would have effectively eliminated use of coal as a viable power source within a relatively short time. The same thourgh registration and eventual taxation could be done with a gun registry. One proposal in PA for example, would have required you to pay an annual fee just to own a firearm. What about the person who has 100 guns? Even a minimal fee of $10 per year would result in an additional $1000 billl per year just to own his collection. Is this right? A firearm registry could easily facilitate this kind of thing in a tax strapped state or one that wanted to eliminate private firearm ownership. This bill did not pass, but under the right circumstances, it could pass, but most likely not in PA. But to think that an elected represenative of the people actually submitted such a bill for consideration is important.
So many people just ignore legislation with the belief being... oh, they'll never do that...
So, what do y'all think about concealed carrying without a permit? Because I've heard people say that they do this, too. Good idea or bad?
I generally think it is a terrible idea; not just a bad idea. 75% of the reason I got a carry permit was so that I could carry my handgun loaded in my vehicle. I didn't have to think about whether a handgun in my vehicle is loaded any more. (If it was there, it was loaded.) If I chose not to get the permit and I looked crossways at an officer or he/she was having a bad day at a routine traffic stop, they would search my vehicle and discover an illegally carried handgun and I would loose my gun rights for the rest of my life. It could happen so quickly. That is not to mention all the attorney and court costs and loss of income it would cause.
A friend had his vehicle searched for drugs... He doesn't use drugs. But it is entirely possible that one of his friends had a joint on him and it fell somewhere hidden in his car and if found he would be screwed. Add a loaded firearm and he's really screwed. He can't afford the cost of the training and the carry permit fee. So, he doesn't have a permit. So it is a very smart thing to do if you ever want to carry outside your home to have a carry permit.
It makes every instance of "printing" or any errant gust of wind a potentially life-destroying event.
This is true if you choose to carry a loaded firearm in most states without a permit. Yes, I know there are open carry laws and so forth. It simply is not worth the risk to not have a carry permit.