Connecticut gun owners line-up to register firearms

I understand that fewer than 17% of CT adults own firearms. This is one of the lowest rates in the nation (#46). If every single one of them rose up and went to the polls, the effects might be relatively minor.

Many of us are posting from states where firearms ownership is common and don't have an undertanding of the challenges these folks in CT are facing. A politician (of either party) from my area doesn't stand a chance of getting elected if he, in his TV commercials, isn't leaning up against a tractor tire, holding a gun, and claiming to be a member of the NRA. Such behavior in CT might result in being run out of the state. Our country DOES not have a homogeneous population. This reality is hard to grasp, sometimes.

John Q Citizen types have proven to be less effective and more vulnerable tyrants than the Mr. Nutz varieties. The devil who respects individual empowerment over freedom rather than the devil who respects neither. There's a reason gunnies have a tendency towards social libertarianism.

I also will not rely upon predictable government incompetence to protect me from registration (by Mach's logic, even a formal registry would be useless and nothing to fear, but that seems wishful thinking.)

TCB

Unless there is a real effort to repeal this, the politicians won't stop drafting and passing more anti-gun laws. Perhaps in 10 years we will be discussing yet another thread titled"Connecticut gun owners will have to surrender their pump shotguns and all handguns", and then we'll have numerous posts of people asking how come nothing was done to prevent those laws from happening.

Where is the NRA on this? Is it going to be another situation where the NRA throws another state under the bus like they did with New Jersey? There has to be an answer.

The NRA hasn't thrown any states under the bus and why it it their problem to resolve by themselves (ourselves??)? It seems to me the people of Connecticut are allowing this to happen....I haven't heard any rumblings from the citizens of Connecticut, I haven't heard any calls for recalls....really haven't heard much.

There are always going to be sheeple in every city, county and state and the only way to "win" is to outnumber them. The states that "lose" will become criminal havens.....all the better for the rest of "us".

You can't make people fight for something they don't believe in and you can't expect one organization to do all of the fighting for all of us.

I also will not rely upon predictable government incompetence to protect me from registration (by Mach's logic, even a formal registry would be useless and nothing to fear, but that seems wishful thinking.)

Click to expand...

Oh, don't get me wrong, it does still concern me that they are (and have been for a long time) compiling lists in direct violation of FOPA.

Still, even if they had carefully cataloged the info from every 4473 over the last 30 years and made zero clerical errors, no requirement exists to document private sales. Heck, in their haste to ram the crap through here, they forgot to include anything about documentation; even if one complies with the UBC, they are not required to remember to whom they sold or which FFL conducted the BGC.

Take the silly law here. Even in the fantastical situation where an overzealous prosecutor somehow gets hold of a firearm they suspect was sold privately without BGC, has unlimited resources, and assuming the the firearm in question was originally sold after the date of enectment (which, of course, requires an ATF inquiry-a lengthy process even with a murder weapon, let alone a possible state level misdemeanor):

"We have seized a firearm that an ATF trace shows was originally sold to you. We believe you sold a gun privately without performing a background check on your buyer after the date of enactment of the law"

"No, I did not"

"well, we're gonna sort through every 4473 logged since July 1, 2013 to prove our misdemeanor case"

"OK."

Months (or years) later....

"We found no 4473 with your name on it"

"I was the seller, not the buyer. I filled out nothing"

"what was the buyers name?"

"Don't remember"

"well, then we're gonna, um, err......"

<ADA whispers to DA "we got nuthin', man">

Case closed, tens of thousands of dollars and man hours wasted by a nearly bankrupt government chasing down non-existant proof of a suspected misdemeanor violation.

Yeah, don't think so.

Basically, unless someone is dumb enough to admit to violating the law (or get caught on camera, caught in a sting), they can't do anything.

There has to be an answer and there is.... fight it in the courts to get legal precedence so this can't happen in the future when another do-gooder gets a bug up his/her backside.

If you followed the chain-of-events, you will remember that these laws were pushed thru in the middle of the night under the guise of an emergency legislation. The formal process of discussion and hearing of all sides was not done. It was a tactic that should bite them in their egos for the way it was done.

It is being fought in the courts. The lawsuits are active and advancing. I'm sure it will end up in the Supreme Court if it is not reversed by the lower courts. If it gets that far it will affect every gun owner on this board because a ruling by the SC could then filter down to the individual states. If you think this is not your problem because your govenor lobbys with a stalk of hay in his mouth and a revolver on his hip then you are truly fooling yourself.

Fleetman said:

The NRA hasn't thrown any states under the bus and why it it their problem to resolve by themselves (ourselves??)? It seems to me the people of Connecticut are allowing this to happen....I haven't heard any rumblings from the citizens of Connecticut, I haven't heard any calls for recalls....really haven't heard much.

There are always going to be sheeple in every city, county and state and the only way to "win" is to outnumber them. The states that "lose" will become criminal havens.....all the better for the rest of "us".

You can't make people fight for something they don't believe in and you can't expect one organization to do all of the fighting for all of us.

Click to expand...

Exactly......I would gladly support any recall effort financially, as I did for Colorado, but have not heard anything regarding recall efforts by CT. Would be great to see a recall effort started in CT or NY for that matter, but I won't hold my breath. Not to be insulting in any way to those on this forum from CT or NY, but there is a reason those states have the government they have.

Treedodger said:

I would gladly support any recall effort financially, as I did for Colorado, but have not heard anything regarding recall efforts by CT.

Click to expand...

It's not that we're apathetic; Connecticut simply does not have provisions for recall elections of state officials -- different states are different.

Your financial support of our litigation fund would be most appreciated.

Greg

I'm thinking that most of CT's shooters use their guns at a public range. Which means unless you registered them, you aren't able to use them.

Once the registration period ends, I wouldn't be surprised to see officers at the range asking for your certificate when you pull out a gun that needed to be registered.

So if you can't use it in public, most shooters would not have a need for it. The idea of having to deal with an unregistered weapon, i.e., hiding it, fear, chance of arrest, etc., doesn't appeal to me.

People with unregistered NFA weapons don't seem to be loudly proclaiming their use.

It is being fought in the courts. The lawsuits are active and advancing. I'm sure it will end up in the Supreme Court if it is not reversed by the lower courts. If it gets that far it will affect every gun owner on this board because a ruling by the SC could then filter down to the individual states. If you think this is not your problem because your govenor lobbys with a stalk of hay in his mouth and a revolver on his hip then you are truly fooling yourself.

Click to expand...

There is, frighteningly, a lot of truth to this. I live in Utah. The very mention of such legislation in this state would end a politicians career.

Just as equally, talk of legislation allowing gay marriage in Utah would have ended a politicians career up until last week when an activist federal judge decided the matter taking it out of Utah voter's hands. I work in County government and was present as the lines of hundreds filed though for their marriage licenses even though a State constitutional amendment expressly defines marriage between one man and one woman. This amendment was passed by nearly 70% of the voters....

Whatever the outcome in the supreme court regarding CT will most certainly impact all of us.

As a CT gun owner getting ready to go comply with these new laws...

First- I don't want to take even the CHANCE of getting a felony. Why? Because that would sorta ruin my life and such job that I have.

Second- I'd love to call for a recall of government officials...but CT doesn't have a mode of going about having a recall, so I'm stuck waiting for the next election, wherein I can continue to not vote for the people that did this, and hope enough people agree.

Third- I'd love to leave the state, really, I would. But with me and my fiancee both making only 10$ an hour, and relocation being a bit costly and difficult on such pay, we're kinda stuck for the moment. Though Vermont IS the dream...

Fourth- We have cases pending, but as everyone knows, they don't go through the courts overnight, so, we're stuck complying or risking charges unless the courts suddenly decide to hear the case on Monday or Tuesday and issue a same day ruling at least halting the law. I put the chances of that happening about as high as I do me winning the lottery without playing.

So yes, I'm complying with the registration. Am I happy about it? No. But at first whispers of confiscation, they're taking a loaner trip to my fiancees father in Florida, where they can remain borrowing them until the law is gone, or I'm out of the state. "I'll be sure to turn them in as soon as they return to the state though officers!"

>>I understand that fewer than 17% of CT adults own firearms.<<

Which is why these laws were allowed to be passed.

Trunk Monkey said:

I think Katrina showed us the shape of things to come when firearms were confiscated and not one person resisted.

Click to expand...

I saw a video of an 80 year old woman about 80 lbs at her kitchen table yelling for police to get out. She had what looked like a starter pistol and they wanted it so the "pro" 2nd police forcibly took it from her roughing her up.

N003k said:

As a CT gun owner getting ready to go comply with these new laws...

First- I don't want to take even the CHANCE of getting a felony. Why? Because that would sorta ruin my life and such job that I have.

Second- I'd love to call for a recall of government officials...but CT doesn't have a mode of going about having a recall, so I'm stuck waiting for the next election, wherein I can continue to not vote for the people that did this, and hope enough people agree.

Third- I'd love to leave the state, really, I would. But with me and my fiancee both making only 10$ an hour, and relocation being a bit costly and difficult on such pay, we're kinda stuck for the moment. Though Vermont IS the dream...

Fourth- We have cases pending, but as everyone knows, they don't go through the courts overnight, so, we're stuck complying or risking charges unless the courts suddenly decide to hear the case on Monday or Tuesday and issue a same day ruling at least halting the law. I put the chances of that happening about as high as I do me winning the lottery without playing.

So yes, I'm complying with the registration. Am I happy about it? No. But at first whispers of confiscation, they're taking a loaner trip to my fiancees father in Florida, where they can remain borrowing them until the law is gone, or I'm out of the state. "I'll be sure to turn them in as soon as they return to the state though officers!"

Click to expand...

Voting is only part of it. We must be involved at every level of the process. If you can't run for office then support someone who supports you. Donate money and time to the campaign. Get involved. If we don't then the anti gun folks win and CT., NY, MA., and CA. are proof of it.

The Government doesn't need to control us. They can't even run a business, the postal service, let alone run a country.

AS several other CT residents have observed, there is no "recall" possibilty here.

I have complied with laws that I don't agree with, because my choices are: Comply or become a felon.

None of us like it but I have a wife, children, and grandchildren, and I must be responsible to them first. If you can look your family and responsibilities directly in the eye and say that other responsibilities are more important than them, please move to CT and "fight the fight". If you can stop this insanity here, then it might not visit itself on you in the future.

Responsible CT shooters are fighting this here as best we can, legally and by supporting active Gun Rights groups. If you REALLY feel strongly about this, make a donation to Connecticut Citizens Defense League. CCDL and the NRA are engaged, and they are fighting for much more than MY rights, your rights are ultimately at stake too.

http://www.ccdl.us/

Wave a BIG stick in the face of the people who will come after your guns someday.

Sorry to rant and rave, these choices became very personal in the past year, triggered by the actions of a sick person, and if you think that a similarly sick person does not live in your town, you are sadly mistaken.

This is my opinion as to why we have such laws in C.t
Social engineering and central planning are imposed without end, since the government masterminds, drunk with their own conceit and pomposity,have wild imaginations and infinite ideas for reshaping society and molding mans nature in search of the ever elusive utopian paradise. their clumsy experiments and infantile pursuitsare not measured against any rational standard. their piousness and sanctimony are justification enough.
This I feel is a good look at the Ct. legislators From The Liberty amendments by Mark R Levin

It generally boils down to what I believe to be a false premise here in the USA... that the 2nd Amendment absolutely insures gun ownership for regular people. People believe it and they will continue to believe it until guns begin to be regulated out of the hands of ordinary people's ability to own them.

Queen of Thunder wrote:

Its time for everyone of us to become actively involved in the process.
Run for office
Work on campaigns
Provide money or in kind services for a campaign
VOTE

Click to expand...

I agree completely. The question then becomes, do we have the numbers? And more importantly, will we have the numbers going forward? The antigun side has been propagandizing the youth against guns for a long time. That, combined with urbanization, means that the number of gun owners is diminishing. I remember when marksmanship was an accepted after-school activity. You won't find that in urban school districts any more.

AlexanderA said:

Queen of Thunder wrote:



I agree completely. The question then becomes, do we have the numbers? And more importantly, will we have the numbers going forward? The antigun side has been propagandizing the youth against guns for a long time. That, combined with urbanization, means that the number of gun owners is diminishing. I remember when marksmanship was an accepted after-school activity. You won't find that in urban school districts any more.

Click to expand...

Best thing to do is get gun owners on school boards and move on from there. That is what needs to be done. There are 100 million plus gun owners and I'm quite sure we can make an impact.

Face it. Its time we get elected to office otherwise we are doomed. The time for talk is over. Its time that as indivduals we get into this fight. The time is now. Either step up or give up your Rights.

This dilemma is caused by good people not doing their homework as to those who run for legislature. I have but one criteria, does that politician or candidate believe in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, especially the 2nd Amendment. If they waffle or as one candidate replied, "what is the 2nd Amendment" I cross them off.

Our problem is not the idiots who are making the laws but rather the idiots who are voting people in who have no belief or regard for our Constitution. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and it is us!'

Best thing to do is get gun owners on school boards and move on from there.

Click to expand...

This is probably the most important statement in all we've read and written about on these boards. We need this to happen to preserve our gun rights in the future.

If you want to see what happens when a few generations are brain-washed (like is happening now) then look to the northeast (MA, CT, NY, NJ) and learn how pushing anti-gun agendas in our schools and communities has polluted the masses here. This goes back to the days of the Kennedy's control of MA and the northeast.

Right now, making a pop-tart gun or using your fingers to "shoot" someone will lead to expulsion and a black mark on your school records. The kids are taught to fear guns and anything associated with them. The parents are also brain-washed that guns are bad and evil and they bring that home as well. Remember the kid who was bullied by the schools for wearing an NRA shirt to class? Maybe the lawsuits and hearings exonerated the hateful school boards but what kid wants to be the next poster child? They put fear into the heads of the kids.... fear of punishment and reprisal. What kid wants to go thru that? Then we, as parents, decide to push our agenda thru our kids and use them to make a statement. The poor kid has to be used to make a statement, right or wrong, and all we do is alienate the masses.

Fast forward a generation (like already here in the NE) and these kids who were brain-washed from the time they were 5 are now running for government. Their only exposure to guns was from what they remembered in school (punishment and unwanted attention), from what they see on the news (guns only kill other people and are used for bad things) or what they see in the movies (all the bad guys have them, they are all full autos that can shoot thousands of rounds from a single mag and all they are used for is to commit crimes) and they conclude that there are no good uses for guns. They get elected and push thru the anti-gun bills that were there to protect the children. They do not care one bit about the 2nd amendment. They fear guns and that's how there were reared and taught from day 1. Guns are bad, period.

So, we're a generation away from guns being a novelty. It's already happening in our schools as we read this. Every week we read or hear about a student suspended, expelled or punished for something stupid and harmless but gun related. It's just a matter of time before these students are making our laws.

Yes, we'll get the posts here about raising our kids "the right way". Many here already do. Both of my kids (in their 30s) love the sport and own guns. Many new shooters have joined the ranks from our fearless leader's passion to take them all away. We've signed the UN Treaty (although not put into law.... yet). These new shooters don't know about the history of the government trying to take them away. They'll fight to keep them but most won't put their kids thru the torture of standing up for that right in schools, in fron of their peer. Sure, we'll have the few who will make a stand but unless we have half the kids standing up together, we'll lose the majority vote needed to keep these rights when they can vote.

So, we have to start when the kids start school. We need to take control of the school boards. We have to promote after school projects that teach students about all the good things guns are used for. This happened a few decades ago and shaped most of the posters here. We read posts all the time about how we took our rifles to school to plink on the way home, how there were organized activities that promoted shooting and safe handling skills, etc. The new gun owners have to wish to allow their kids to join these groups. We need schools to get back into the shooting competitions as a sport to encourage students to join. Unless we begin this process now, we will be voted out of society when the current generation of school kids gets into office. We have this current generation of gun owners to make this happen or the future generations will become the next England or Australia.

This is a perfect example of why I do not trust liberal gun owners. In fact I think they are more dangerous than liberal non gun owners. They have a naive trust in government that allows them to be constantly taken advantage of and leads to, well, things like this.

Agsalaska said:

This is a perfect example of why I do not trust liberal gun owners. In fact I think they are more dangerous than liberal non gun owners. They have a naive trust in government that allows them to be constantly taken advantage of and leads to, well, things like this.

Click to expand...

That's not true. I can be classed as a liberal gun owner and I don't trust the government. In fact I doubt anyone trusts the governmnt regradless of which side of the fence they come down on. To be successful we must stay focused on gun rights as straying into other issues will undemine our objective.

Queen_of_Thunder said:

Best thing to do is get gun owners on school boards and move on from there. That is what needs to be done. There are 100 million plus gun owners and I'm quite sure we can make an impact.

Face it. Its time we get elected to office otherwise we are doomed. The time for talk is over. Its time that as indivduals we get into this fight. The time is now. Either step up or give up your Rights.

Click to expand...

Yes we CAN do something to help in other states, even though we don't live there.

If every one of those 100 million gun owners would just contribute $1 each yearly into a National Fund purely for the election of pro-gun candidates, maybe we would not be having these threads. If every gun owner in the country would contribute $5 each, that would be 1/2 billion dollars per year, that would make a difference.

If every gun shop in the country would let each customer take out an extra $1 or $2 to contribute to this National fund, that would be the easiest way to raise money.

Would would administer it?

NRAILA

GOA

A separate organization?

The money would be specifically earmarked for all pro-gun candidates especially in anti-gun states and areas. Someone buying a rifle in Idaho could earmark an extra dollar or two (if he or she wanted) to help elect pro-gun candidates in anti-gun areas like the Northeast.

This way even though we live in a pro-gun state, would could do something to help our fellow gun owners in anti-gun states and areas.