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Throughout the past year, there has been a lot of back and forth between pro and anti gun advocates. With the Biden administration set on threatening to limit our Second Amendment rights, there is legitimate concern about what laws might come up that could affect law abiding citizens.
In 2020, gun sales skyrocketed, and many who purchased those guns were first time gun owners. People wanted to be able to protect themselves due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and civil unrest of that year. This year, it seems gun sales are staying high since this is the second busiest year for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. According to an article on the NRA website, “Nearly 36 million law-abiding Americans gifted themselves a NICS background check in the first 11 months of 2021.” They also explain, according to Gallup surveys, less Americans support stricter gun laws compared to the previous year, and “less than 0.5% of adults say guns and gun control are the most important problem facing the country today.”
Unfortunately, the focus is often not on stopping criminals, but limiting the rights of those who want to lawfully use guns. Gun shows have been targeted by anti gun advocates, but the statistics don’t lie. An article on the National Review website poses an important question, then answers it with the statistics to prove that point. “Are guns bought at gun shows a significant contributor to crime? Fortunately, we have a whole federal office — the Bureau of Justice Statistics — that keeps track of these things. Its finding? “Among prisoners who possessed a firearm during their offense, 0.8% obtained it at a gun show.””
Thankfully, there are politicians out there doing the hard work to defend our rights. On December 2, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) blocked H.R. 8, “the dangerously flawed, so-called “universal” background check bill. As you may recall, Nancy Pelosi and her anti-gun allies in the U.S. House passed this misguided legislation earlier this year. H.R. 8 would do nothing to prevent crime, could not be enforced without a federal gun registry, and would turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals for simply loaning a firearm to friends or family members.” Senator Grassley responded with an alternative unanimous consent request for S.1775, the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2021. This would focus on reducing violent crime and protect gun owners who follow the law.
The NRA encourages their members to stand up for these rights as well and there have been “…significant victories at the state level across the country” over the past year. It’s going to take all of us to stay informed on this issue and fight to keep our Second Amendment rights.
Sources:
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20211207/a-year-in-american-gun-ownership
https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/gun-control-laws-arent-about-preventing-crimes/
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20211203/senator-grassley-blocks-gun-control-on-senate-floor
