From the federal government all the way down to municipalities, there are as many as 20,000 new laws being debated that would restrict gun rights. These new laws would ban ownership of certain types of guns; restrict magazine capacities; establish systems that would allow authorities to search your home without a warrant; and other infringements of your rights.
There also is a strong movement among some folks preparing to campaign for elected offices to run on platforms of stricter gun laws. One of the most common ideas those people are proposing are mandatory buybacks for semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, like the AR-15 and AK-47. If passed, these laws would require anyone who owns those types of guns to surrender them to the government.
The other idea popular among these people is what they call a Red Flag law. Under a Red Flag law, anyone could report another person as being a potentially dangerous individual. That would give police the ability to search that person’s home without a warrant. The idea is to prevent tragedies like several that have made national news in the last few years. However, the potential for abuse of this law would be extreme, and it would force the police to investigate ridiculous, baseless claims, and would cut into the time they need to prevent real crimes.
Educate yourself. Read about all the legislation being considered. Then make sure you let our Congressional delegation, your state legislators and local officials know where you stand on those proposed laws.
And don’t rock the boat. If you’re going to carry a gun, carry it concealed, and follow the laws. And if a store or a restaurant say guns aren’t welcome, leave your gun – and your business – outside. We won’t gain any support by flaunting our guns, especially in places they’re not wanted.
